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.
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!