Football season is coming to a close, which means it’s time to gather together, eat delicious food, and root for your favorite team. Whether you win or lose this Super Bowl, your tastebuds can score big time with some amazing onion-inspired recipes. We chatted with Chef Jacob Locke from Braised Kitchen to get some expert ideas on how to incorporate onions into game-day dishes and came up with some delicious recipes the whole family will love.

Pack Extra Vitamins into Your Snacks with Onions

Yes – onions count as a vegetable! If your game day spread is missing some nutrient-dense foods, incorporating onions is an easy way to balance out all the wings, pizza, and beer. Mince them raw as a bratwurst topping, grill them with your burgers, or caramelize them for a sweet and savory dip. The possibilities are endless.

Tailgate Like a Pro with Onions

Onions are an easy ingredient to prepare ahead of time if you’re planning on tailgating, making a variety of dishes, or heading over to someone else’s house to watch the game. Bring sliced onions along with your portable grill for a quick topping, pre-grill onions at home for your nachos, or make a batch of caramelized onions for French onion dip.

You can also take advantage of Gills prepared onions. Add our yellow or red diced onions to your hot dog topping list, or use Gills diced celery and onion mix for your game-day mirepoix.

Onion-Inspired Game Day Recipes You’ll Love

Your Super Bowl meal prep can be as involved or as hands-off as you want, but either way, you’ll love these onion-inspired recipes. Whether you plan to be cooking all day or throwing together some last-minute snacks, onions can be incorporated every step of the way. Here are a few of Chef Jacob’s favorite game day recipe ideas. 

  • Sliders

Nothing beats a tray of sliders for a crowd of hungry sports fans. Make them simple with ham and cheese, or show off your grill-master skills with some short rib sliders. Chef Jacob likes to prepare and shred the short ribs, add that meat to a pan of rolls cut in half, and top it with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions. You can also prepare a French au jus dip with the beef drippings.

  • Nachos

Ready for a really easy one? Make some nachos! Whether you like beef, chicken, or vegetarian nachos, just about anyone can pull off this Super Bowl side. Simply add a bag of chips to a pan, cover in shredded cheese and any other toppings you want warmed up, and bake for 5–10 minutes. When they’re warmed up, add cold toppings like pico de gallo, cilantro, sour cream, and lettuce. “You can even throw caramelized onions on one-pan nachos,” said Chef Jacob. 

  • Blooming Onion

If you’re comfortable with a frying pot, blooming onions are a classic party favorite. Chef Jacob’s professional advice is to dredge the flour on very lightly. The natural oils of the onion will help the flour stick, so you don’t need to be heavy-handed with breading. He also said to, of course, make sure you’re not cutting the onion all the way through. 

  • Pickled Onions

Pack a flavorful punch into a variety of Super Bowl recipes with pickled onions. Red onions are great for pickling because they have a sharp flavor, but you can pickle other varieties as well. “We use red onion for pickling at our restaurant,” said Chef Jacob. “Pickled onions are a great garnish on barbeque food. They’re sweet and savory, go with anything, and add a nice crunch and texture with some acidity.”

For best results, Chef Jacob recommends giving your onions a full day to pickle, but you can do a “quick pickling” in around 4 hours.

  • French Onion Dip

By far, Chef Jacob’s favorite way to incorporate onions into a game-day treat is with French onion dip.  “It’s the easiest,” he said. “Make some caramelized onions, then add sour cream, some seasoning, and maybe some cream cheese.” Serve this dip with potato chips, sliced vegetables, pretzels, and more. “Even the kids will eat it!”

No matter what you’re cooking for game day, onions are an amazing teammate for almost any dish.

Ready to try onions grown “The Gills Way?” Contact our sales department to learn more.