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Easy Roasted Cipollini Onions Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

J. Kenji López-Alt
Published: Last Updated:
Serious Eats

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video]

I have a deep and abiding love for cipollini onions, the little disk-shaped onions that you used to see only in fancy restaurants, but are now available all over the place. They're far sweeter than regular onions, which makes them ideal candidates for caramelization, and the easiest way to accomplish that caramelization is by using the oven. You can use a similar technique to roast pearl onions and shallots, too.

Why It Works

  • Cipollini onions are far sweeter than regular onions, making them ideal candidates for caramelization.
  • Cooking the onions slowly allows their natural sugars to break down into sweeter compounds, rather than burning and turning bitter.

Read more: How to Roast Small Onions and Shallots

  • Yield:Serves 4 to 6
  • Active time: 10 minutes
  • Total time:40 minutes
  • Rated: 5

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons (55g) unsalted butter
  • 2 pounds (900g) cipollini onions, peeled and trimmed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. 1.

    Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 325°F. Melt butter in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast, tossing occasionally, until deeply caramelized and tender, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Review: The Kitchen Starter Kit: Essential Tools for Every Cook
This Recipe Appears In
How to Roast Small Onions and Shallots The Food Lab: How to Roast Fall and Winter Vegetables

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J. Kenji López-Alt Chief Culinary Advisor

J. Kenji López-Alt is a stay-at-home dad who moonlights as the Chief Culinary Consultant of Serious Eats and the Chef/Partner of Wursthall, a German-inspired California beer hall near his home in San Mateo. His first book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science (based on his Serious Eats column of the same name) is a New York Times best-seller, recipient of a James Beard Award, and was named Cookbook of the Year in 2015 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Kenji's next project is a children’s book called Every Night is Pizza Night, to be released in 2020, followed by another big cookbook in 2021.

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