Southern Cuisine: Vidalia Onion-Cheese Casserole

If you like onions but haven’t experienced the sweet Vidalia onion, you don’t know what you’re missing! Not only are they super mild – they also have a wonderful flavor that makes them very adaptable for a number of dishes. Enjoy them raw on sandwiches, burgers, and salads, or add them to casseroles.

Below is a casserole I created by combining the flavors of the onions, cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon. The flavors really accent each other! This is an ooey, gooey, yummy concoction of real comfort food. It’s a great accompaniment for steak, meat loaf, roast beef, burgers, or just about any meat. It’s also good with fresh vegetables – especially yellow squash or zucchini.

Holle's Vidalia Onion and Cheese Casserole

5 medium Vidalia onions

1 stick salted butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, finely crushed

2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

Crumbled bacon or real bacon bits

Slice onions into about 1/8-inch discs. Place them in a microwaveable bowl with the butter. Microwave until the onions are soft. Stop cooking and stir a couple of times.

Dip the onions out of the butter and reserve the butter. Place half the onions in a buttered two-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, half the cheese, and half the cracker crumbs, in that order.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients, but for this layer, sprinkle the bacon over the cheese, before adding the cracker crumbs. Add the milk to the remaining butter and drizzle over the top. Let the casserole rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle and for the cracker crumbs to soften.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes.

You can spice this up a bit by adding chopped jalapeno peppers.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and re-heat in the microwave.

Enjoy!