Stuffed Onions

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a couple of months and now I can't believe I waited so long! This is a super fun and beautiful alternative to stuffed peppers or tomatoes. It does take a while to make however so be sure you have laundry to do or a favorite TV show to catch while you are preparing.

 Here are your ingredients
4 vidalia onions (8 ounces each)

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups shredded zucchini
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  You have to bake the onions for 1 hour so they are soft enough to take out the centers.  Cut enough off the bottom of the onion so it will stand up straight.  Cut about 1/2 inch off the top of the onion.  Line a baking sheet with foil and set the onions on top.  I wish I had used larger onions or at least 6 onions.  I ended up having quite a bit of the "stuffing" left.

While the onions are baking you can prep the rest of your stuffing.  Pictured above is a garlic clove and a garlic bulb.  If you haven't cooked with garlic a lot you might not know the difference.  When a recipe calls for garlic it is usually calling for cloves.  The easiest way to get the outside "paper" off of the garlic clove is to place it under your knife and smash it.  This will partially crush the clove, making the paper peel off easily.

Shred your zucchini with a cheese grater to save time!  To get 3 cups you'll need two small zucchini.

Pictured above are the pine nuts.  I chopped them so they would toast faster.  To chop things quickly hold your knife with two hands.  I'm right handed so I hold the handle in my right hand.  With my left hand I hold the knife in one spot.  Then I rotate my right hand in an arc to reach everything I need to chop.  This keeps the knife from leaving the cutting board but still allows me to chop things quickly.

This is fresh basil.  I didn't have the dried herbs at my house because I grow as many as I can fresh.  The conversion for dried to fresh is 1 tsp dried = 1 Tbsp fresh.  So I added 1 Tbsp of fresh basil and 1 Tbsp of fresh thyme (pictured below) to my recipe.

Once I completed my prep I combined the zucchini, basil, thyme and garlic in a bowl.  In another bowl I mixed the bread crumbs, toasted pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

After the onions are finished baking scoop out the soft centers.  Leave approximately 1/2" shell so you can stuff them!  Saute the zucchini mixture along with 1 cup of the cooked onion for 6-8 minutes. 

After you are finished sauteing the zucchini mixture remove it from the stove.  Mix in your breadcrumb mixture and then stuff the onions!  Bake the stuffed onions for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

These onions were yummy!!  Both Peter and I totally recommend this recipe.  It is hearty and fresh tasting and a great option fora vegetarian entree.  Let me know if you try them!