These tangy caramelized sweet buttery onions can be roasted on the grill or in the oven, or you can use my cheater method and get them on the table in about a half-hour! You can use regular balsamic or your favorite vinegar, but this Alessi Pear Infused White Balsamic Vinegar is amazing! You can reduce the butter or replace with olive oil, but the butter really makes them shiny and luscious! (If you can't find Pear Infused Alessi, try Alessi White Balsamic Raspberry Blush! It's my second favorite!)
Prep Time5mins
Cook Time30mins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8
Calories: 110kcal
Equipment
Roasting pan. If you want these on the table in a half-hour use a microwave-safe pan and a *disposable roasting pan, or even make a tray out of foil. I highly recommend a disposable roasting pan for easy cleanup when roasting. Balsamic & brown sugar together make for a sticky cleanup!
Small bowl - for marinade.
Oven, broiler or grill.
Microwave, optional.
Ingredients
2Vidalia onionsRed onions with Vidalia is an amazing combo! Yellow onions will work, but sweet onions are ideal.
4tbspbutterOlive oil can be used, butter is best!
4tbspAlessi Pear Infused White Balsamic Vinegar Alessi Pear infused is best, but regular balsamic, red or cider vinegar is fine also. White balsamic looks best, in my opinion. If you can't find pear infused, try their Raspberry Blush White Balsamic.
2tbspwhite vinegarAny vinegar lighter than balsamic, like seasoned rice wine vinegar.
2tbspwater
3tbspbrown sugar
⅛tsppepperblack or white pepper, to taste.
⅛tspsalt
½tspherbsOptional- rosemary and/or thyme are perfect!
½tbspolive oil Optional - drizzle additional over onions when serving.
Instructions
Use one tbsp of butter, grease the pan you are roasting these in entirely, sides and bottom. Preheat your oven to 450° (or broiler.) (I use my gas grill.)
Combine water, both vinegars, seasoning, olive oil, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Slice onions in even slices, about 1/2 inch thick. (Thinner will cook faster, but fall apart more.)
Add onions in a single layer to the pan and spoon marinade over them or flip the onions to coat. If microwaving to speed up cooking, also butter the bottom of the microwavable dish, (they can overlap a bit) and pour some marinade over. Photos shown are for a half a batch.
If you are using fresh herbs, reserve some for garnish and sprinkle some on the onions.
These can marinate overnight in a nonreactive pan or be cooked right away. If you are in a hurry, microwave the onions for two minutes. If they haven't softened any, use a spoon and spoon the marinade from the bottom of the pan over the tops of the onion slices. Microwave for another minute or until they start to soften a bit.
Once they are soft(ish) but not mushy or if you do not intend to microwave them, place in a single layer in the roasting pan. Slice the remaining butter so that each onion slice has a dab of butter on top. (You can omit butter and drizzle more olive oil, but butter is definitely worth it!)
Roast the onions in a 450° oven until they are soft and the marinade has thickened to a shiny glaze. From raw, they will probably take a good half hour or so, keep an eye on them because if the sauce burns it will get bitter. Be careful, the sauce will be hot like lava!Be sure to check and spoon over the marinade periodically. From a precooked in the microwave, they will take about fifteen minutes. The sauce/glaze will thicken some as it cools a bit. Be careful, it's as hot as lava!
Notes
*I usually cook these with the odds and ends of onions in the fridge. So the photos are shown with about five or six slices.*Resist the urge to add more vinegar and/or less water. If you only use vinegar, or omit the water, they will come out very vinegary and sour.*I use disposable roasting pans for these. When the marinade thickens it gets really sticky and delicious. It can be hard to remove from Pyrex or glass roasting pans. If it does get baked on, try Bar Keepers Friend and Magic Erasers.**As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.