Southern Tennessee Onions Casserole Recipe - Easy (2024)

FAQs

What makes a good casserole? ›

Make-ahead meals (especially baked casseroles) are terrific because you can completely assemble them in advance and bake them just before serving. They're the ultimate comfort food as they come bubbling hot and delicious straight from the oven to the table to the delight of family and friends.

The Vidalia is a type of sweet yellow onion. They're different from other types of yellow onions because of their high sugar content and low sulfur content. Most onions contain about 5 percent sugar, while Vidalias contain a whopping 12 percent.

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

Generally, casseroles with grains, rice or pasta that will cook during the baking process are usually covered, for at least part of the time. Casseroles made of cooked ingredients are usually baked uncovered. If you like a crisper, browner top, be sure the casserole is uncovered for at least part of the bake time.

Fresh herbs or citrus zest can also punch up flavors with a bit of welcome brightness for a long-cooked dish, as can adding some heat in the form of a dash of hot sauce, a generous pinch of minced or sliced fresh chili pepper, or a shake of red pepper flakes.

Balance Flavors

Casseroles can really shine when they achieve a harmonious balance of flavors. Sweet, salty, spicy, and acidic elements should blend well and complement each other. Add ingredients like caramelized onions, olives, or lemon zest to give your casserole a depth of flavor.

How Can You Identify a Vidalia Onion? If you're wondering if an onion at the grocery store is a Vidalia onion, Page says to take a look at the PLU number. The code for Vidalia onions is 4159. Vidalia onions are squatty and flatter in shape than other onions and have golden outer skin.

Onion production in the United States is primarily concentrated in a handful of states, with Washington, California, and Oregon leading the pack.

What is the closest thing to Vidalia onion? ›

Substitutes for Vidalia Onions

There are many other types of sweet onions available, including Walla-Walla (after the city in Washington State) and Texas Sweets, and these can easily be used in any recipe calling for Vidalia Onions.

The heart is one of the primary beneficiaries due to the antioxidant flavonoids in onions, which can help reduce heart disease risk by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The digestive system also benefits from onions as they promote healthy gut bacteria.

Onions are high in vitamin C, which may help regulate your immune health, collagen production, and iron absorption. It's also a powerful antioxidant that could help protect your cells from unstable, damaging molecules called free radicals.

Eating onions, especially raw onions, can have a few side effects, including: Gas and bloating. The same substances in onions that feed the healthy bacteria in your gut can be hard for some people to tolerate. Onions are among foods that sometimes cause trouble for people with irritable bowel syndrome.

Casseroles Are Largely Defined by Their Baking Dish

agrees, telling us that "a casserole is baked in a casserole dish—a deep baking dish. The word casserole comes from a French word meaning 'saucepan. '"

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

They're often defined by the vessel they're baked and served in, which is called a casserole dish. The ingredients in a casserole can be layered or simply mixed together. And although oven-baked pasta dishes like lasagna and baked ziti are technically casseroles they're not known as such; those are called baked pastas.

Top tips for casseroles

Cut your ingredients, such as meat, potatoes and parsnips, into similar-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly. Add any ingredients that cook quickly, such as broad beans, towards the end of cooking. To save time – and washing up – use a flameproof, ovenproof casserole dish.