Chili Cheese Stuffed Vidalia Onions
Large Vidalia Onions hollowed out, filled with chili – then slow baked til you can cut the onion with a spoon & topped with a melty layer of cheddar cheese. My, oh my – these Chili Cheese Stuffed Vidalia Onions have me salivating just thinking about them!
They are super easy to make too… READ ON & check them out!
I’m so excited to partner with the Vidalia Onion Committee for this post & recipe! As always, all opinions & general ramblings are my own.
I am a little bit obsessed with the recipe that I’m sharing with y’all today. Ok, more like a lot obsessed. But only because of how insanely delicious it is.
These Baked Chili Cheese Stuffed Vidalia Onions are what foodie dreams are made out of & I don’t know why I haven’t thought of it sooner.
Vidalia Onions are naturally sweet & juicy – and they have such an amazing flavor. They are truly my favorite onion. I am kind of a Vidalia onion hoarder come the end of Summer & store them so I’ll have them throughout the holidays. I wrap many of them individually in paper towels & place them into my crisper drawer with the door closed – and I also chop & freeze a ton of them. Did you know that you can even freeze Vidalia onions whole? Just peel, wash, & core – then drop in a freezer bag. Since freezing them changes their texture (but not their flavor!), I use them like this… If I want raw onion, I use the onions in the crisper drawer. If I plan on cooking the onions, then I use the frozen ones.
Since you can freeze them whole, I’m putting several back for this recipe!
(You can read more Vidalia onion storage options here)
This recipe combines the flavors of that sweet & juicy Vidalia onion with a slightly spicy chili & the results are nothing short of amazing. As they slow bake in the oven, the chili & the onion’s flavors get married & enjoy a bit of a whirlwind romance. The chili takes on a bit of the Vidalia’s flavors as it cooks and vice versa. When it’s done, you can slice through that onion with a spoon. Then all that chili & cheese come oozing out…Â It’s a little on the magical side, y’all.
All this talk is getting hungry for another one…
They are super easy to make too. I make my own chili to stuff in them, but you can also use your favorite canned chili if you want to make them even easier than they already are. If you don’t like beans in your chili, you can just leave those out.
First, you’ll want to hollow out the centers of the onions with a spoon. This is really easy to do! Use the spoon to dig into the onion’s layers and scoop out the centers. Save the onions that you scoop out for a later use, or cook them with the chili for an even bigger boost of Vidalia onion flavor. Discard of the most outer layer of the onion & keep the outer two layers of onion in tact so it’s firm enough to use for a chili bowl. You’ll also want to cut off the root end to give the onions a flat surface to sit on.
Then you stuff those big ol’ Vidalia onions with with chili & cheese, cover with foil,…. and bake.
Once they come out of the oven, give each onion some serious shredded cheddar love. Pop them back in the oven for few just for the cheese to melt.
And.
DEVOUR.
These are EPIC, y’all. Make them, eat them, and then come back and let me know what you think.
I’m thinking you’re gonna fall in love too.
It may get a little messy, but that’s ok – that’s what napkins are for 😉
Chili Cheese Stuffed Vidalia Onions
Ingredients
- 6 large vidalia onions
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 packet chili seasoning
- 1 14.5oz can kidney beans, drained (or leave out if you don't like beans in your chili)
- 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Peel off the outer skin from your Vidalia onions. Using a spoon, hollow out the centers of the onions - leaving 2 layers of onion on the outer end. Reserve the onions for a later use or saute them with the ground beef in the chili. Slice off the very bottom of the root end to make a flat surface so the onion can stand up.
- In a pot, cook the ground chuck & reserved vidalia onion (if using). Add the chili seasoning pack, kidney beans, & diced tomatoes. Stir well & cook until warmed. Turn off the heat.
- Season the hollowed out insides of the onions with salt & pepper. Press about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese into the very bottoms of the hollowed onions. Spoon chili into the onions to the top. Cover with foil, bake for 90 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, top each onion with a heap of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake,uncovered, for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Notes
You can read more about Vidalia Onions here. Make sure you follow them Facebook & Instagram too – and check out their recipe page.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these other awesome Vidalia Onion recipes I’ve created – and make sure you stock up on your Vidalia onions while they are still in stores! #OnlyVidalia
Tasty yet little in quantity is what I recommend for such dishes, great read! Keep it up