Food and Recipes Veggies Onions 30 Recipes To Make With That Leftover Onion By Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 16, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Onions are a kitchen workhorse. They're usually one of the first ingredients to hit the pan, often with garlic, building a foundation for all the other ingredients to build upon. They're so integral to so many cuisines that they've become part of culinary trilogies like mirepoix or the holy trinity, which are used as the base of countless dishes. Whether red or white, you probably have an onion hanging out somewhere in the pantry or fridge, and because they won't last forever, we compiled a collection of recipes designed to use up the ones that need to go (especially if they're starting to sprout). 01 of 30 Caramelized Onion Dip Getty Images / 7886565 Onion dip is nothing new, but when the onions are caramelized their natural sweetness gets to shine. 02 of 30 Crispy Onions and Parmesan Chicken-Broccoli Casserole Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Sure, you can buy store-bought, but if you already have a leftover onion, you might as well give homemade crispy onions a try. We think you'll be impressed by how crunchy and flavorful they are when made from scratch. 03 of 30 Quick-Pickle Cucumbers And Onions Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Help your future self out and use that leftover onion to make a delicious pickled condiment. It instantly makes burgers, hot dogs, and even salads, so much better. 04 of 30 Tennessee Onions Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Cheese and onions are a perfect pair. Need we say more? 05 of 30 Bacon-and-Sweet Onion Jam Hector Sanchez We'll find a way to sneak bacon into just about everything, and onion jam is no exception. 06 of 30 Crispy Onion Rings with Kickin' Ranch Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Christine Keely Crunchy on the outside and perfectly tender inside, once you try this recipe, we'll bet these rings will become a dinner staple. 07 of 30 Marinated Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad Hannah Zimmerman/Southern Living Refreshing and tart, this salad marries onions with juicy tomatoes and crunchy cucumber for a side that hits all the right notes. 08 of 30 Hamburger Steak With Sweet Onion-Mushroom Gravy Recipe Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey There's no denying that a good gravy needs onion. This recipe uses sweet onions to help balance savory richness of the hamburger steak. 09 of 30 Cucumber-and-Vidalia Onion Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley This old-fashioned Southern vegetable salad only requires a few ingredients, and one of them, importantly, is a lot of sliced onion. 10 of 30 Caramelized Vidalia Onion Pasta with Herbed Breadcrumbs Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley You already saute onions for pasta sauce, why not try this recipe where we caramelize them instead? 11 of 30 Zucchini-Onion Frittata Start your day off right with a baked egg breakfast loaded with fresh zucchini and onions. 12 of 30 Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions Becky Luigart Stayner Apples and onions play off each other's sweetness for pork chops infused with caramelized flavor. 13 of 30 Cast-Iron Salsa Charred onions add a smoky undertone to this easy skillet salsa. 14 of 30 Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham The stuff of tailgate dreams. Make this dip for your next big game or barbecue. 15 of 30 Caramelized Onion Mashed Potato Jennifer Davick Elevate your mashed potato game with the richness of caramelized onions. 16 of 30 Smoked Vidalia Onion Dip with Grilled Crudités Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Sweet and smoky, this dip is perfect for munching on while the burgers finish grilling at the backyard barbecue. 17 of 30 Turkey Grilled Cheese Recipe with Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Fancy up your grilled cheese with turkey, nutty Gruyere cheese, and savory-sweet caramelized onions. 18 of 30 Air Fryer Bloomin' Onion Photography and Styling: Caitlin Bensel Bring the restaurant to you with this impressive onion appetizer. We promise it's easier to make than it looks. 19 of 30 Onion Soufflé Abigail Wilt Soufflés don't have to always be sweet, although this super savory onion version has a hint of natural allium sweetness too. 20 of 30 Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Pork Strata Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke This strata is a breakfast (or brunch) of champions. You can't really go wrong with anything loaded with cheese and bread, right? 21 of 30 Slow-Cooker Caramelized Onions Always keep a batch of these tasty onions on hand. They're excellent folded into eggs, used in pasta, or added to a sandwich. 22 of 30 Pickled Red Onions Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Great on tacos, salads, or taco salads for that matter, it's always nice to have a jar of these onions in the fridge. 23 of 30 Permanent Slaw Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Thinly sliced onions add crunch and sharpness to this make-ahead slaw. 24 of 30 Escabèche-Style Marinated Tomatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis The natural sweetness of ripe red heirloom tomatoes pairs beautifully with onions, especially with a touch of acid and spice. 25 of 30 Floating Salad Emily Laurae/Southern Living This super-tart salad made with sliced cucumbers and onions "floating" in a vinegar brine that's not diluted with water, is not for the faint of heart. If you like the sharp bite of vinegar, then this might be the summer salad for you. 26 of 30 Old-School Squash Casserole Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Props Stylist: Christina Brockman While squash is the star of this dish, onions also play an important role in the distinctive flavor of this classic casserole. 27 of 30 French Onion Chicken Casserole Stacy Allen; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower All the rich flavor of French onion soup rolled into a comforting casserole. 28 of 30 Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup French soup may be a great way to use up onions, but the traditional recipe takes quite some time and babysitting. Take a shortcut and use our more handsoff slow-cooker version instead. 29 of 30 Turkey Cheeseburgers With Grilled Vidalia Onion Rings Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Grilled, smoky vidalias help keep this lean turkey burger super flavorful. 30 of 30 Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Slow-cooked red onions add color and flavor to this cheesy cornbread-like side. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit