Caramelized Shallots - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

These very flavorful caramelized shallots make a wonderful side dish to almost any meat you can think of.

They are buttery and delicious and quite easy to make. The leftovers are good too! I like them in an omelet.

I lightly adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's recipe. It's a simple recipe. Fresh shallots are roasted in butter and balsamic vinegar until caramelized into a unique, intense flavor experience. Roasting really brings out the natural sweetness of the shallots.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty shallots recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Unsalted butter: I love using European butter, it's so flavorful. But any butter will be great.

Peeled whole shallots: You can find shallots in the supermarkets right next to the onions. Whole Foods sells a very convenient bag of peeled shallots. You'll need two of those for this recipe.

Balsamic vinegar: Its relatively high sugar content helps the shallots brown.

To season: Kosher salt and black pepper.

Instructions

Caramelized shallots are very easy to make! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Your very first step is to cook the shallots in butter in an ovenproof skillet until browned.

Next, remove the skillet from the heat and allow it to slightly cool. Now you add the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Then turn the shallots in the sauce to coat them.

Now, transfer the skillet to a 400°F preheated oven and bake the shallots until they are fork-tender. This should take about 20 minutes, and I like to flip them midway through roasting.

Time to eat! Spoon the yummy cooking liquid on top of the shallots and serve them.

Expert tip

Much like sauteing onions, patience is key. So when you brown the shallots in the skillet, keep the heat on medium, and don't be tempted to turn it up. You want the shallots to slowly brown and caramelize.

Frequently asked questions

Variations

One way to change up this recipe is to use ghee (clarified butter) instead of butter. The results will be similar, but ghee has a nutty flavor that I really like in this dish.

One more thing that I sometimes do is add a bit of garlic powder. I sprinkle it on the shallots together with the salt and pepper.

Serving suggestions

These shallots are very versatile. They make a wonderful side dish to any meat. I often serve them with the following entrees:

• Beef tenderloin roast
• Baked pork chops
• Pork medallions
• Grilled chicken tenders
• Country style ribs
• slow cooker beef ribs

Storing leftovers

Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave on 50% power prior to serving.

This is one of those recipes where the leftovers truly taste good - almost as good as the freshly made dish. I sometimes chop them up and mix them into an omelet the next day for my breakfast, with a bit of shredded gruyere cheese. Yum!

Recipe Card