Beer-Braised Cipollini Onions

Creamed pearl onions have long been a staple Thanksgiving side dish, but this lighter, sweet-and-savory cipollini onion recipe may send that traditional recipe to the back of your file for good. For a fruity (and gluten-free) twist, use your favorite hard cider instead of beer.

Prep/Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes, Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cipollini or pearl onions
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 12-ounce bottle Belgian-style wheat ale, lager or hard cider
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Drain. Peel and trim the root end, if necessary, but leave the onions whole.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until browned in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in beer (or hard cider), brown sugar and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Uncover and gently stir the onions. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a gentle boil, spooning the sauce over the onions frequently, until the sauce has thickened to a light syrup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs before serving.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving: 81 calories; 3 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 3 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 2 g added sugars; 5 g total sugars; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 102 mg sodium; 123 mg potassium

© Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission.