Justin and I are typically really good about checking the grocery list before buying things, but sometimes we make happy accidents. Last week, we had “bag of onions” on the grocery list. I didn’t realize that Justin had picked up onions from the store during his trip to the pharmacy when I was placing our weekly order for delivery and ordered another bag since it was on the list. Then, our CSA also sent onions in our box that week. Needless to say, our pantry was overflowing with onions.
Typically, we go through a fair amount of onions as they form the base of much of our cooking. However, this seemed like the perfect time to make and freeze some caramelized onions in our crockpot. I can hardly call this a “recipe” since it pretty much consists of putting stuff in the crockpot and waiting. It’s more of a time-saving cooking hack.
The process is fairly straightforward. Fill your crockpot about halfway with thinly sliced onions and then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Allow to cook on low for about 12 hours or until the onions are brown and jammy. I like to let it do its thing overnight.
Once cooked, portion into jars and freeze. Make sure to leave about a half inch of space so that the jar doesn’t break. Alternatively, you can freeze in an ice cube tray and transfer the cubes to a freezer safe bag.
I love having caramelized onions on hand because they are a tasty addition to sauces, stews, and tacos. In fact, one of my favorite pasta sauces comes together in about 20 minutes — the time it takes to bring water to a boil and cook the pasta — when I have the onions all ready to go. Talk about time saver! I’ll share that recipe another time.
Homespun in Colorado 