I Guarantee ‘Melting Onions’ Will Be the Surprise Hit of Thanksgiving Dinner

After melting the onions in olive oil and thyme, no more spicy bite remains—just savory-sweet rings of jammy onion.

They're so sweet and tender. Alex Lepe/TCA

While I enjoy vegetables cooked until they’re crisp-tender, I’m also a big fan of veggies that have been cooked until meltingly tender and soft (especially because that gives them time to absorb the other flavors). Melted cabbage has crispy, caramelized edges, and gets roasty and sweet, and potato rounds absorb butter and broth while they get browned on the outside. I’m not a huge fan of raw or undercooked onions, so the melting technique is my new favorite way to cook them.

These melting onions get coated in olive oil and thyme, then roast in a hot oven until browned. A mixture of broth and vinegar gets poured into the pan, and the onions absorb all this flavor as they finish cooking and get super tender and sweet. There’s no more spicy bite left—just savory-sweet rings of jammy onion that are reminiscent of French onion soup. To contrast it all and add a little crunch, each piece gets showered with crispy thyme-scented panko breadcrumbs. They’re great served with a grilled steak or pork chops, or you can even tuck the leftovers with roast beef into some bread for a tasty sandwich.

Why You’ll Love It

• They’re so flavorful. Everyone will enjoy these tender, sweet, and savory onions—even those who aren’t fans of this allium.
• Easy but fancy. The oven does all the hard work here. Plus, they’re pretty and impressive enough to serve as a side dish at a dinner party.

Key Ingredients in Melting Onions

• Onions: Use yellow or sweet onions here, and choose small or medium onions, which will cook more quickly and evenly than larger ones.
• Thyme: Fragrant thyme leaves are used on both the onions and in the topping.
• Broth: Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth can be used to both flavor the onions and help them cook until very tender.
• Panko: Flaky panko breadcrumbs toast and turn into an easy crunchy topping.

Helpful Swaps

• White wine or rice vinegar can be used in place of the apple cider vinegar.
• Finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves can be used in place of the thyme. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons on the onions and 1/4 teaspoon in the topping.

Notes From Our Recipe Tester

This made my kitchen smell amazing. I always forget that onions are a vegetable, and this is a really delicious way to serve them. It’s simple but really flavorful, and I think it could even be served as a holiday side dish. I feel like you could compare them to French onion soup.—Patty Catalano

Melting Onions

Serves 4 to 6