Onion Pie

This onion pie is as simple as can be. This fits the bill beautifully if you need a low-effort side dish (or even a main dish). All you have to do is saute onions and mix ingredients together before pouring them into a pan and baking them. The resulting frittata-like pie stores well too. Plus it tastes great warm or cold.

This is a suitable dish for sweet onion season; if you’ve got onions like Vidalias sitting around and waiting to be used in something that isn’t a salad, this onion pie is a great choice.

Onion Pie Ingredients

• Onions: Sweet or Vidalia onions would work wonderfully here.
• Eggs: Use large eggs, not medium or jumbo.
• Soft breadcrumbs: These help bulk up the pie and give the filling some more structure. The breadcrumbs need to be soft, not toasted and crunchy.
• Parmesan cheese: Parmesan provides an umami taste and savory dimension that makes flavors seem fuller and more complete.
• Fresh parsley: Flat-leaf or Italian parsley would look very nice here; the flat, green leaves create little pops of color among the yellowish eggs and pale onions.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the onions

Add some oil to a large skillet and saute the onions until they’re soft but not yet brown. Drain the onions.

Step 2: Mix the unbaked pie filling

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley. Stir in the onions and make sure all the ingredients are combined.

Step 2: Bake that pie

Grease a 10-inch pie plate. Pour the mixture into the pie plate and bake at 350°F for about 35 to 40 minutes. A knife inserted in the center of the pie should come out clean.

Onion Pie Variations

• Bake this in a pie shell or cracker crust: This recipe makes a crustless pie. Although, if you want you can bake this in a pie crust or cracker crust. Use saltine-style crackers, pretzels or even chopped nuts to give this onion pie a crust.

How to Store Onion Pie

Place leftover onion pie in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can eat the leftovers cold or heat them up in the microwave.

Can you freeze an onion pie?

Yes! Make sure to cut up the onion pie first. Wrap the cooled slices in freezer-safe wrap and place those in a freezer-safe container. Let it thaw partially in the refrigerator overnight when you want to eat a slice. Remove any wrapping and warm the slice in a low oven at 275°. The interior of the slice needs to reach 165°. Eat the slices within three months.

Onion Pie Tips

How do you make soft bread crumbs?

You can make soft bread crumbs at home if you have a blender or food processor. Tear up slices of bread and place the pieces into a blender or food processor. Pulse until the bread has been turned into soft crumbs. Each slice of bread should produce 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup crumbs depending on the size and thickness of the slice.

Can you mix onion types in this recipe?

It’s better to choose one type of onion and stick with that for the entire recipe. Onions differ not only in color but in taste. So using one type of onion means the pie will have a more consistent onion flavor. For example, mixing a peppery red onion with a sweeter Vidalia onion could produce a pie with a much sharper taste in some bites than in others.

Does the Parmesan have to be freshly grated?

It’s better to use freshly grated Parmesan. The pre-grated/shredded stuff can contain additives that make the cheese more resistant to melting. Plus, if you buy fresh cheese and not the bottled version you can search for authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This will give the pie a more robust flavor.