Stuffed Vidalia Onions

Vidalia onions, a Georgia-grown yellow hybrid known for it's sweet flavor, are excellent for stuffing.  They make for an easy mid-week dinner that I find particularly enjoyable at the end of summer and late into the fall.  This year, due to weather conditions, the onions arrived in late May and as such were still being shipped at the end of August.  Of course with the introduction of controlled atmosphere storage, Vidalia onions are available through December at many grocers.

Stuffing onions is much like making stuffed bell peppers and you can pretty much do as you would with those for the stuffing ingredients. I like them a red tomato sauce over them, served on a bed of rice. My recipe is below. 

Centers removed and ready to stuff.

Ingredients

Stuffing
2 pounds Italian Sausage -- Or Other Sausage Favorite
3/4 cup Bread Crumbs -- Italian Seasoned
1/2 cup Ketchup
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
3 cloves Garlic -- Chopped
1 large Egg -- beaten
The remaining Vidalia Onion Centers -- Chopped

Sauce
24 ounces Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Other Spices To Taste

Instructions

Peel the outer layer of the onions and cut off the stem at the top and bottom of the onion. Then slice the onion in half and place them on a plate, cut side up. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are well warmed, but not hot. This will allow you to easily remove the onion centers after removing them from the microwave. Remove the center of the onions by pressing up on the bottom center of each piece. Leave at least 3 layers of onion to form cups to hold the sausage stuffing.

Mix together the ingredients for the stuffing including the chops onion centers you removed. Adjust the stuffing recipe to suit your taste. Stuff the onion halves and place in a 9 x 12-inch baking dish. Mix together the sauce ingredients (or use any good quality prepared sauce) and pour the sauce over the onions.  Bake in a 375F degree oven for approximately 45-60 minutes, or until the onions are tender and the meat filling is cooked through.

Serve the stuffed onions over rice or pasta, or with potatoes.