Savory Wild Rice Stuffed Onions

Sweet Vidalia onions roast until golden and caramelized, then get hollowed out and stuffed with a wild rice filling made with mushrooms, apple, garlic, and fresh marjoram. The scooped-out onion goes right back into the filling, so nothing is wasted.

Baking the onions whole before hollowing them is the step that transforms this from ordinary to special. That 45 minutes in the oven concentrates the natural sugars in the Vidalia onions and turns them soft enough to scoop easily while keeping the outer shell firm enough to hold the stuffing.

The apple in the filling is the unexpected ingredient. It adds a subtle fruity sweetness and a slight crunch that plays against the earthy mushrooms and nutty wild rice.

Basting with vegetable stock during the final bake keeps the stuffed onions from drying out and adds one more layer of savory depth.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the largest Vidalia or sweet onions you can find. Small onions don’t leave enough room for stuffing once hollowed.
• Leave at least ½ inch of onion wall when scooping. Too thin and the shell collapses during the second bake.
• Roast the onions ahead of time and refrigerate. This makes assembly quicker on the day you want to serve them.
• Wild rice takes 45-50 minutes to cook, so start it while the onions are roasting to keep your timing on track.

Variations

• Sausage stuffed: Add crumbled cooked Italian sausage to the rice filling for a heartier, protein-rich version.
• Cranberry pecan: Replace the apple with dried cranberries and add toasted pecans for a Thanksgiving-worthy side.