Just 4 Ingredients

When my neighbor, Martha, told me she’d made a magnificent onion casserole, I was skeptical. I asked about the ingredients. Only four, she said—onions, butter, Ritz crackers and Parmesan. Couldn’t be easier.

When she brought the onion dish over to the house, was I ever surprised. It was really good! Not at all what I expected of an all-onion casserole.             

The Secret

Martha explained. You just cut up six Vidalia onions (this is the hard part, she said.) Put them in a pan with a stick of butter, a little salt and pepper, and sauté for 25 minutes, or so. Ah-ha! That was the secret. She caramelized the onions, bringing out their natural sweetness.

Next she placed half the caramelized onions* in a baking dish.  She crunched one sleeve of Ritz crackers (30 crackers) and grated a cup of Parm and put half atop each of the two onion layers. More precise recipe for Easy Vidalia Onion Casserole here.

A Happy Excess of Vidalias

I asked how she happened to get into onion casserole making. She said it was a necessity. Her husband had bought home a 20-lb bag of Vidalias from the Shriners, who were selling them for a fundraiser. She chopped and froze most of the onions, but made a few casseroles with the rest. (Good idea! I can see how this dish would be a lot quicker to make if the onions were already chopped.)

The easy casserole works for a barbecue, a buffet, or Thanksgiving dinner. Martha, you can bring this dish back to my house anytime you want. 🙂 

* I often freeze caramelized onions to toss on burgers or add to vegetable dishes.  Sometimes it takes 45 minutes or longer to get just the right color, but it’s worth every minute.