A healthier version of the blooming onion -A Baked blooming onion with Mexican chorizo and cheese, smothered in New Mexico red chile sauce. Serve as a main dish or side dish.
Prep and Cook time assumes you already have some red chile. If you don't, see Kitchen Notes.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 2 medium size onions*
- 1/4 pound Mexican chorizo*, crumbled (not cooked)
- 1/4 pound Fontina or Monterey Jack cheese*, grated or crumbled
- ¼ cup vegetable, chicken or beef broth
- 1/2 cup red chile sauce*
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Preheat the oven to 375°
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Peel the onion and remove the top part of the onion (about the top 1/2'”)
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Carefully remove most of the root, but do not cut into the core. The core will hold the onion together while it bakes, but you do want to create somewhat of a flat surface so that the onion sits upright.
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Using a paring knife, cut a vertical 1/2" - 3/4" wide hole down the middle of the onion, stopping about ½” above the core.
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Make several vertical cuts into the onion, stopping ½ - ¼” above the core.
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Carefully separate the layers to create a “blossom”.
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Transfer onions to a baking dish.
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Place a piece of cheese vertically in the hole in the middle of the onion.
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Distribute the crumbled chorizo throughout the onion pieces as shown here.
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Pour ¼ cup broth into dish.
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Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
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If you need to make some red chile*, make it while the onions are baking.
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Remove the onions from oven. Remove the aluminum foil. Using a turkey baster, remove all but about 1/4” of liquid from the baking dish. Set aside for later.
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Scatter the desired amount of grated or crumbled cheese onto each of the onions, placing cheese between the "petals" of the bloom and laying cheese on top.
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Return the dish to oven, uncovered, and baked for another 15 minutes.
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Remove from oven and prepare to serve*. (See Kitchen Notes for serving suggestions)
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If you find your red chile sauce too thick, use some of the liquid that you set aside to get the consistency you want.
Onion – The best onions to use are nice round onions. Sweet onion, yellow, white or red onions all work. Just choose what you like best. The flatter sweet onions are hard to use logistically in that they are difficult to cut into "blooms" and separate.
Link to Homemade Mexican Chorizo
Red Chile – If you don't have any red chile, then you can make a quick batch from powder, or you could use your favorite enchilada sauce or salsa.
Cheese – Fontina and Monterey Jack are the cheeses that I mostly use. A mild cheddar also works.
Broth– The broth is the steaming liquid. While baking, the onions steam in the broth, infusing flavor and salt into the onions. Liquid from the onion and fat from the chorizo will add to the broth during the 30 minute bake.
Serving Suggestions -
- Transfer to a bowl and smother with red chile. Serve with a flour tortilla and side of sliced avocado or a side of beans.
- Transfer to a bowl, top with a fried egg, and smother in red chile. Serve with home fries or beans.
- Serve over brown rice or a wild rice blend or your favorite grain. Smother everything with red chile.
- For a side, use a knife and fork and separate the baked onion into smaller portions. Pour red chile on top and serve the smaller portions as sides.
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