Italian Stuffed Vidalia Onions

Hi everyone!  It's been a while.  Sorry.  We are still dealing with the aftermath of all the flooding here.  My parents are living with us because they lost their home, so we've been helping them with all the issues that follow a disaster (dealing with FEMA and insurance adjustors, etc).  Not fun.  The worst part is watching my Mama grieve for family treasures that were washed away.  Not expensive things.  Irreplaceable things, like her Mama's Bible and the kids' baby blankets.  It's rough.  But, life does go on even when we think it can't possibly.  There's is just one of thousands of stories of  Louisiana families who have lost everything.  Please keep these good folks in your prayers.

Now, let's talk about food.

This stuffed onion recipe is fantastic!  I use sweet Vidalia onions, but you can use any onion.  (Though, sweet onions are the best!)


ITALIAN STUFFED VIDALIA ONIONS

3-4 Vidalia onions (I used 3)
1/2 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese (I like whole milk, but you can use shredded)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the onions.  Cut the very ends off so they will sit flat.

Then, cut them in half across the middle.

Scoop out the middle of each onion with a spoon.

You want to remove enough to have room for the stuffing but not so much that they won't hold up when baked.  They should look like this:

Place a small bit of onion in the bottom to cover up the hole.

Now, take all those pieces of onion you removed and chop them up.

Brown the ground beef and sausage with the chopped onions and the garlic.

Once browned, you want to drain the excess grease.  Here's a tip:  I place a colander on top of a bowl then scrape all of the beef mixture into the colander.  Let it sit for a few minutes and the grease will drain away into the bowl underneath.

Place the drained beef mixture back in the pot and add the can of diced tomatoes (including the juice).

Season to taste with salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.

If you are using block cheese, cut into small cubes (I use 8 small cubes per onion.  You can use less if you like).

Place the onions in a baking dish then add 4 cubes of cheese to the bottom of each onion.  If you are using shredded cheese, just sprinkle some in.

Next, spoon some of the beef mixture into each onion.

Then, add 4 more cubes of cheese on top (or sprinkle the shredded cheese on top).

Finally, sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese on top of each.

Lightly grease a sheet of foil (or spray with cooking spray) so it won't stick to the cheese.

Cover the baking dish with the foil (greased side down).  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more.

These came out awesome!  Taste a little like pizza!  They were soft and sweet with a little spice from the sausage, so good!  

 You need to make these tonight!  Seriously.  You won't be sorry.