My Uncle Adrian gave me this recipe after he’d spent the summer with his cousins in my Grandmother’s home village, which is nestled in the foothills of the Alps near Biella in Northern Italy. These stuffed onions are usually part of an antipasto tray, but they also make a great side for a holiday meal. Uncle made the stuffing without parsley, but I think it adds great flavor.

6 servings

10 ingredients

20 min prep

Ingredients
  • 3 medium Spanish onions, outer layer peeled
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 slices of country-style bread, cubed
  • ⅓ cup milk, plus more if needed
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus a little more for topping
  • ⅓ chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Boil the onions whole for 10-12 minutes or until the outside layers have just softened. Drain and let cool slightly.
  3. In a bowl, thoroughly soak the cubed bread in the milk. If the bread seems dry, add more milk, a spoonful at a time. Mash into a thick paste. Set aside.
  4. Cut the onions in half horizontally through the middle, and pull out the centers, leaving 6 onion cups about 2-3 layers thick. Finely chop the onions centers.  Pat the onion cups dry and set aside.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion centers with a pinch of salt until they are translucent and beginning to caramelize, about 5-8 minutes.
  6. Transfer the onions to the bowl with the mashed bread mixture.  Add the Parmesan, parsley, raisins, pine nuts, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add a touch more milk if the stuffing seems dry.
  7. Stuff each onion cup with the bread mixture. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra Parmesan and transfer to a baking try.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until well browned on top.  Serve.

Chef Tips

For extra sweetness, try making this dish with Vidalia onions instead of Spanish onions.

If you want to make these onions as a starter, keep it small. Buy 6 small yellow onions and proceed with the recipe as directed.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 230; Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Carbohydrates: 26g; Sugar: 9g; Fiber: 3g; Protein: 7g; Sodium: 280mg

Registered Dietitian Approved

Your recipes, articles, videos, and more content are reviewed by our Registered Dietitian Kate Ueland, MS, RD, CSO, a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition, to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society.

This recipe was originally published on Cook for Your Life. It is used by permission.

Fred Hutch Cook For Your Life logo TM