tex mex baked blooming onion
I participated in my first March Madness bracket this year. I’m so unaware of what I’m doing I’m not even sure if the sentence I just typed means anything.
But basically, my small group decided to (lovingly, brotheringly, as we do) compete against each other this year. And so, I signed up for a bracket, clicked a bunch of buttons with college names on them and sent it in. Currently, I am in 8th place out of 10 (not surprising). But Elliott is in 9th. VICTORY FOR STEPH.
And again, if it’s any indication of how little I know about what goes on with this March Madness business, I just had to ask the husband when it is over. Apparently, the championship is this Monday. Which is why this recipe for a baked blooming onion comes at the perfect time.
You see, what I lack in knowledge about college men’s basketball I make up for in ideas for yummy game day food. That is my comfort zone. So while everyone else will be watching/yelling at/cheering at the TV screen when people run across a court and throw a ball into a hoop, I will be manning the snack table. And eating all the snacks. Naturally.
If you’ve never had a Bloomin’ Onion before (or as some call them, Awesome Blossom), clearly you’ve missed out on years of deep-fried, artery-clogging, food-baby-hangover goodness. But if you have had one and you know exactly what I mean about said food baby hangover, you will be pleased to know this version is baked, therefore healthier and Tex Mex flavored, therefore delicious.
The process of setting up this blooming onion situation is simple: Onion, panko breadcrumbs (<– heart emojis for these crunchy goodies), tangy Old El Paso taco seasoning and eggs. To assemble, you cut a half-inch off the top of the onion and peel it. Then you flip the onion over, cut-side down, and slice straight down. Then you flip it over again, root-side down, and carefully peel back the layers. Brush each layer with the eggs, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and taco seasoning, and bake. As my denim-clad gal pal Ina Garten would say, how easy is that?
Oh, and to up the ante on the deliciousness even more, I made two dipping sauces to go with the blooming onion: one with garlic and adobo sauce and the other with avocado and ranch. Both will make you want to dip your face in them. As I will be doing this weekend.
Happy March Madness, everyone! (NO ONE SAYS THAT, STEPH. See what I mean? I’ll stop talking about sports now.)
P.S. Visit Old El Paso for more yummy game day recipes.
PrintTex Mex Baked Blooming Onion
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the blooming onion:
- 1 large Vidalia onion
- 3/4 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Old El Paso® original taco seasoning
- 2 eggs, beaten
For the garlic-adobo dip:
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
For the creamy avocado-ranch dip:
- 1 small avocado, mashed
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place onion on a cutting board. Cut a 1/2-inch off the top of the onion (stem side, not root side). Remove outermost layer, keeping root intact.
- Place onion cut-side down on cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice onion into quarters, cutting straight down starting about 1/4-inch from the root. Continue slicing onion until you have 16 equal slices.
- Invert onion and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Carefully peel back layers into petals, keeping them attached to the root. Use a paring knife if necessary to cut any remaining petals apart.
- In a small bowl, whisk together Panko breadcrumbs and taco seasoning. Generously brush one or two petals at a time with beaten egg, then immediately sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until all petals are coated.
- Carefully dome aluminum foil over onion on baking sheet; bake 5 minutes covered. Uncover and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until onion is soft and slightly crispy at the edges. Remove from oven. Serve immediately with dipping sauces.
- To make the garlic-adobo dip: Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with blooming onion.
- To make the creamy avocado-ranch dip: Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with blooming onion.
Disclosure: I received compensation from Old El Paso for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
Laura — Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one with that strategy! 😉
This is so nice!! What a great recipe! Love your blog btw! You are so pretty and it is too 🙂
So excited, not see an onion cooked in this way before, I must have lead a sheltered life!
Cailee — Oh you are so sweet! Thank you 🙂 (and thanks for visiting!)
Carol — Haha, well now that you have seen it I hope you give it a try! 🙂
How clever is this! This is perfect game day food for sure.
I literally laughed through this whole post! I am not even in any pools (or is it polls??) this year! I typically base my choices on uniform color and mascot. Typically (at least in my history) the ‘cutest’ mascot doesn’t ever win the big game.
I actually was super excited when I saw this recipe. Maybe a little too excited. I’ve eaten one of those artery-clogging, food-baby-hangover onions before. While delicious, I didn’t really feel very good about my choice afterwards. Or a day later when I needed to run 768 miles to burn off all those calories. Super thrilled about the baked method! And I love your method shots in this post. The pictures really clearly show exactly how to get that onion to it’s petal beautifulness. 🙂
Cheri — Thanks, dear!
Gretchen — Oh thank you, dear! I’m glad you find the photos helpful. And haha, I don’t know if it’s pools or polls either, so we’re in the same boat. 😉
Who needs to ACTUALLY win at March Madness, when you can beat your significant other? Which is basically winning. GO YOU.
I’m sure there’s a baseball game on this weekend that will have me sticking my head in one of those dips. You heard it here first.
Seriously in love with this idea!
Joanne — I feel the same way. Rank above husband = win for me. 🙂
Marie — Thanks, dear!
Ahhh…I LOVE this….how incredibly awesome and yummy this looks, can’t wait to try it!
I’ve never had a blooming onion before, but I love that you healthified it! The flavors sound amazing!