french onion tartlets
Stop the presses. These French Onion Tartlets are theee appetizer for any of your party needs. Whether it’s for holiday gatherings or dinner parties or extravagant soirees or even weddings, these poppable savory bites are perfect for all occasions.
You guys — are we cool to talk about Thanksgiving yet? I mean, it is literally the biggest social eating occasion of the year, and I know we all love to hang out and eat. It’s our thing. Ergo, Thanksgiving is totally our thing, so it’s totally OK to talk about it already (it’s November and there are Christmas trees in all the stores already, for Pete’s sake! Give me two weeks and Mariah Carey Christmas will be playing on my Pandora radio).
That’s my line of reasoning anyway to talk to you about these bomb French Onion Tartlets that I need you to add immediately to that Thanksgiving menu I know you’ve already totally planned (ahem). Bonus points if you decide to make them ahead of time, you know, for the research.
The Story Behind These French Onion Tartlets
The inspiration for these little bites o’ bliss came from a wedding we attended last weekend in Milwaukee for one of my dearest childhood friends. She and her husband had their reception at the original Pabst brewery that’s now turned into a gorgeous venue and for hors d’oeuvres, they had bacon-wrapped shrimp (YUS), brat shots (a shot of beer with a slice of bratwurst and a spoonful of sauerkraut on a stick, so clever) and what I can only presume were French onion tartlets. They were served in flaky phyllo cups and filled with a creamy caramelized onion mixture and I about grabbed the entire tray from the waiter to eat them in the corner all by myself. But then I thought better of that idea and decided to recreate them at home ASAP. And here we are.
How to Make French Onion Tartlets
These savory mini tarts couldn’t be simpler, thanks to Athens Foods’ flaky, buttery mini fillo shells that are already made and baked and ready to fill. The hardest part is having the patience to let the onions for the filling caramelize to the nth degree, and trust me, they need to — it’s what makes these tarts sing (metaphorically). Plus, your kitchen will smell amazing. Your clothes maybe not so much, and people may question your hygiene, but you can just give them one of these tartlets and they’ll forgive all ills.
The best part, as I mentioned earlier, is that they would be perfect for a Thanksgiving appetizer, and while my particular family is always hellbent on featuring deviled eggs, the spinach dip in a Hawaiian bread bowl and the block of cream cheese with a slather of jam on top as our appetizers of choice, I think I can sneak these onto the table and win them over with something new. They’ll play nicely with the cream cheese block, for sure.
Mariah Carey Christmas radio, I’m coming for you.
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French Onion Tartlets
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 30 shells 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deliciously savory French onion tartlets made with flaky, crispy mini fillo shells. These are the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving or a holiday party!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 packages (15 count, each) Athens Mini Fillo Shells®
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. In medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped onions and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes until softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook onions 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add fresh thyme leaves. Cook yet another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are deep golden brown and very caramelized. Add white wine and continue to cook 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese, egg and parsley until well combined.
- Place fillo shells on rimmed baking sheet. Fill each shell with a scant tablespoon onion mixture. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until shells are lightly golden and filling is lightly browned on top. Serve warm.
Notes
- Find the mini fillo shells in the freezer section at your grocery store.
Keywords: mini fillo shell appetizer, finger food, baked party appetizer
Disclosure: I received compensation from Athens Foods for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
These look delicious – I wish we could get those shells in the UK! Perhaps if I could make some sort of biscuit base for the topping out of my Cheese Straws recipe (http://www.rachelphipps.com/2014/12/christmas-kitchen-classic-cheese-straws.html) – another canapé favourite!
Heck yeah, I’m ready to talk Turkey Day!…especially when it involves tasty apps, like these little tartlets. I’d seriously glue myself to that tray if I were attending your Thanksgiving. 😉
These look so good! I must make them asap!
These sound lovely! I love me some French onion anything!
Caramelized onions for the win. These look incredible- ugh, there’s so much good stuff going on in here that I can’t even stand it. I think I’ll have to make this and caramelize twice as many onions so I don’t have to wait next time.
These tartlets are too cute and they would make such a great appetizer at a party! Gorgeous photos as always! ?
GIRRRL!!! you are speaking my language so hard right now!! Absolutely adore these 🙂 xo
Rachel — Yes, a biscuit-like base would work great, as well!
Julia — Then I might be glued to your hip all day long, too. 😉 Thanks, doll!
Mary — Thank you!
Katrina — Me too, girl, me too. Thanks! xo
Allyson — I think that is the best idea, ever. 😉
Quin — Thank you so much!
Christine — Thanks, lady! xo
After baking, would you be able to freeze a bunch for the future?? They look heavenly !! Thanks.
Daphne — I’ve never tried to freeze them but it’s worth a try! My best guess, however, is that they will taste best fresh.
Wow! this looks heavenly. Caramelized onions for the win. These look incredible there’s so much excellent stuff taking place in below that I cannot even stand it. I think I’ll need to make this and caramelize twice as lots of onions so I do not need to wait next time.
Do you think it would be ok to make the mixture the day before, refrigerate and just pop in the oven the next day?
Heather — I do think that could work, yes! I would just let the refrigerated mixture sit out at room temp for about 30 minutes before filling the cups so the cups don’t get too brown in the oven before the filling is fully baked. Enjoy!
I’m making these now for Thanksgiving tomorrow! I’m so excited to bring a new appetizer to the table, and I was wondering about cheese on the top – thinking of french onion soup, I imagine that melty ooey-gooey cheese on top (like Jarlesberg or something) have you ever shredded some up and melted it on top? Or is the cream cheese enough?
I made these yesterday and my brother-in-law couldn’t stop eating them and praising me for making them. Next time I will quadruple the recipe as I liked the shells to be overstuffed.
I love buttery flaky pastry and I love caramelized onions. Ergo…these tartlets are my spirit animal!
I’ve been doing a Happy hour every Friday to try all the appetizer recipes I’ve saved. So glad I got to this one tonight. It is delicious and so easy to make. You really need to make this!
I’m thinking I may not be able to get the mini fillo shells here. So I’d make Pate Brisee tartlet shells, and wonder about using Gruyere or Chevre for the cheese. What do you think? Different tastes of course, but would they be soft enough?
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Can I pre-make these and take them to a pot luck or must they be made and served right away?
Going to make these for a (Canadian) Thanksgiving party this weekend! Thanks for the inspo.
Megan
http://www.todayisthedaylifestyle.com/blog
What do you think about making the filling the night before, refrigerating, at filling/baking the next morning?
If you can’t find the mini fillo shells you could use wonton wrappers in a mini muffin pan.
These were terrific! I used parmesean cheese instead of cream cheese as some of my guests do not eat it, and they turned out fantastic. Definitly cut up a lot more onions if you want a lot more onion flavor! Making these again tomorrow for my parent’s anniversary party for 30 people!
How to make in advance? Should I just make them in Their entirety and then reheat in oven prior to serving?
These were very easy to make and were a big hit at the dinner party. I needed to make them ahead of time so I followed the recipe but stopped after adding the wine. Later I heated the onions a bit and added the cream cheese, egg and parsley and then foiled the shells and baked them to serve warm. I am always looking for appetizers that can be done in advance and these worked well. I will definitely make them again!!
Has anyone tried these at all? No comment in having made them and liked them. It’s 2017.
I made this recipe on Christmas day and they tasted wonderful. Yummy and easy to make. I’m making them again tomorrow as part of our NYE app table.
Can you make the day ahead and cook the last part of recipe on the day?
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Is it possible to make the filling ahead, and refrigerate overnight?
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I did this and made the filling the day before which was awesome to have that as a time saver and I think the flavors came together really well. Great appetizer. Thank you for sharing.
these sound delicious – are the Athens shells available in Canada?
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What do you do with the egg? Brush the cups once filled before baking?
Kristin, the egg gets mixed into the filling before it’s baked!
Can I rough chop the fresh thyme leaves?
Hi Bri, yes of course you can!
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I wonder how these would be with a Sweet Onion like a vidalia or walla walla
Leslie, probably really really good!
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I made these yesterday for a Christmas party that we hosted. They were INCREDIBLE. The recipe is definitely a keeper!
Sandy, SO happy to hear that! Thank you!
I’m making these this weekend but couldn’t find the phyllo cups so I got some phyllo pastry which I plan to cut into squares and bake in muffin tins for a more rustic look. Any advice on how long I should pre-bake the dough?
Suzanne — Good idea! I can’t offer advice on how long to prebake the dough in terms of time, but they should be just set and lightly browned before you add the filling. That way, they are a perfect brown and flakiness when fully done!
Thanks Stephanie, I’ll let you know how it works out.
This is the worst use of the fillo shells I have ever seen. The only flavor is a sweet sickening taste.
Cathy, so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy them! I hope you can find a fillo shell recipe that suits your tastes better elsewhere.
Hello! Do these need to be served warm or could I make these ahead? I need something for a fancy tailgate party so everything needs to be made ahead & transported. These would be amazing with our beef tenderloin but I need to be sure they’re kept at a safe temp.
Kristine, Sounds fun! You can make these up to a few hours ahead, but beyond that the shells may get soggy. You could make the filling up to one day ahead of time and store it in the fridge, then fill and bake right before taking them with you to the party. Hope that helps!
Do you think you make these the night before?
Lauren, Many apologies for not being able to respond sooner! I would recommend making this just before serving, however, you can make the filling the night before and then fill the phyllo shells and bake the next day.
I’m bringing these to a thanksgiving celebration. Is it better to cook them ahead of time and rewarm them or should I fill them, transport them for 45 minutes then bake them at the house I’m going to??
Betsy, So sorry to get back to you late! I hope you were able to make this work for you. For future reference — I would bake them just before serving, since the phyllo shells might get soggy if they sit too long.
Okay these are amaaaazing. I never leave comments on recipes, but wanted you to know how much we loved this recipe (and made it for two different Christmas gatherings this year). The one edit we made was to add more salt than we otherwise would have guessed with the “to taste” direction. We also added a bit (probably 1 tsp) of garlic powder (at the salt and pepper step), and a sprinkling of cayenne as well. Those two additions made them a little more salty and punched with flavor, with a very mild heat at the end. So, so good!
★★★★★
Lindsi, Thank you SO much! Love the addition of cayenne — yum!
These are amazing!1 I topped with some shredded cheese before baking. Everyone raved about them, and five people ate the entire recipe!! These are my new go-to recipe for parties!
★★★★★
Jess, Adding cheese sounds perfect! Thanks so much!
Hi ! What can I use as a substitute for eggs?
Mehar — Great question! My best suggestion is a flax seed egg: https://www.thekitchn.com/egg-substitutes-in-baking-try-95072
These were scrumptious and the timing spot on. A huge hit!
★★★★★
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Is there a substitute for white wine. I hate to buy and I don’t drink but want to make these.
Sound good.
Ps girl said she used parmesan cheese instead of cream, I like both wld it hurt to add a little to cream cheese.
Thxs so much and an answer as soon as possible wld help b4 I make soon. Happy Thanksgiving
Sam, You can leave out the white wine or swap it for chicken broth. You can also add Parmesan cheese to the cream cheese if you like that flavor. Enjoy!