Tennessee Onions

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves 6-8

Recipe: Loaves and Dishes

 Sweet Onions like Tennessee Onions are baked Vidalia (or other sweet onions) Onions with butter, cheese, garlic and various herbs. 

Tennessee Onions is a creation using sweet vidalia onions from the recipe of a great grandmother of a good friend of mine.  I have no idea why she called this vidalia onion casserole Tennessee Onions. Vidalia onions come from Georgia, not Tennessee!   Who knows – let’s just roll with it – OK?

Directions:

1. Using non-stick cooking spray, prepare a 9×13 baking dish. 
2. Heat oven to 350 F
3. Slice the Vidalia onions in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and separate the rings. 
4. Lay the rings in the prepared baking dish
5. Sprinkle the onion rings with garlic salt (about 1 tsp), pepper (about 1/2 tsp).
6. Cut the butter into pats and place around the dish on top of the onions.  
7. Spread the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses on top of the onions and then top with the grated parmesan cheese.
8. Bake at 350 uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese has started to brown (browned cheese bits is one of the best parts!)
9. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, garnish with some fresh herbs (oregano, chives, thyme all work well)  and then serve.

Recipe Notes:

• Serve Tennessee Onions over hamburgers, over steak, as a side dish at your cookout or even as a “burger option” for your vegetarian friends.
• Cut the sweet onions in even thicknesses and separate out the rings
• Cut the sweet onions about 1/2 inch thick
• Use Vidalia Onions when available.  Texas Sweets will do as well.  Any sweet onion will do in a pinch but Vidalias are the best.
• These Tennessee Onions do not make a custard pie like filling, they simply make baked onions with a cheesy topping – YUM!
• Use the best quality cheese that you can afford for this – it makes a difference.
• Check to see if it needs salt before adding any, cheese and garlic salt are both salty already