Moroccan Onions (Mezgaldi Spiced Onions)

I finally got the "onions aren't just for mirepoix" memo and this may well go down as the Year of the Onion. This recipe is my variation of the traditional Moroccan onions called mezgaldi. They are sliced and spiced, then roasted, then caramelized under the broiler, all simpler than it sounds. I think you're going to love this recipe: prepare to be hooked, because these spiced onions are a bit unusual and unexpected (a Kitchen Parade specialty) with little expense and even less effort.

Approachable, Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared & Family Approved. An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. Not just easy, Summer Easy. Budget-Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Potluck & Party Friendly, a Real Crowd Pleaser. Scales from Small Plates to Large Platters. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

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COMPLIMENTS!

• "... it turned out great." ~ Sally
• "Those were GREAT!" ~ Randy

BEST RECIPES!

• Moroccan Onions Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2010

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FYI this column was first published in 2010.

Even Cold Food Is "Hot". And "Cool".

No question, food – the topic – is as "hot" as this last soul-sizzling summer and as "cool" as the fall air that wafts through the open window right now.

One venerable media outlet after another is dishing up food. My favorite magazine, The Atlantic, now publishes extensive food content online. My favorite news source, NPR, has great food coverage but recipe hunters will especially appreciate NPR’s Kitchen Window. The Smithsonian has new food content called Food & Think. Even CNN (yes, the "cable news" CNN) launched a new food site called Eatocracy.

(Fascinating. In 2024? None of these big-media food pages are active any longer!)

I Really Do.

But truth be told, despite the big-budget credentials of the slick newcomers, my favorite food sites are published in spare time on a shoestring by food bloggers, home cooks who put breakfast, lunch and supper on the table week in and week out.

These aren’t "professional" food and media people – but produce authentic, inspiring and yes, professional, results.

Take Kayotic Kitchen, the lovely food blog from the Netherlands. When Kay (get it, Kay? Kay-otic?) posted a recipe for a Moroccan Tomato Salad, she urged readers to take another look at another Moroccan recipe from last year, an onion dish called Mezgaldi.

I took the bait and a look and immediately printed off the recipe. A day or so later, I found the recipe in my bookmarks, saved last year when Kay first published the recipe. Same recipe, a year apart!

I can take a hint: I made the onions straight off.

OH MY they are good.

The spices are sweet and gentle, if you close your eyes you just might imagine colorful scenes right out of Marrakesh (open your eyes to be transported into My Marrakesh, another favorite blog, this time, no recipes, just color and design).

(Hmmm .... in 2024, Kayotic Kitchen and My Marrakesh are also inactive. It's a life lesson, I suppose. Enjoy everything you can, now, because even good things can be fleeting.)

I ♥ Moroccan Onions. So Do Others!

That was 2010 and I’ve been making Moroccan Onions ever since, for two, for twelve, for twenty.

Adventurous eaters love them. Onion lovers gobble them up. Kids, oops, not so much.

They’re unusual, quick to make and very tasty.

Over time, I’ve cut the oil to just a tablespoon, it’s plenty. While the onion slices are delicious hot, they really shine at room temperature – that makes Moroccan Onions a natural for a buffet or a make-ahead side for grilled meat.

Moreover, sliced thin and roasted, the onions are surprising but welcome additions to open-faced sandwiches.

Besides Onions, What Else Are We Missing?

If you're like me, onions are so common in your kitchen that you rarely think to make them the star of the show instead of hard-working stagehands.

It all has me wondering what "else" we take for granted, what other foods might be as simple but as surprising as Moroccan Onions. What do you think?

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Recipe Overview: Moroccan Onions (Mezgaldi Spiced Onions)

• Moroccan Onions are my version of a traditional dish from Morocco called "Mezgaldi". They are super-simple to make, just cut thin rounds of onion (my favorite is a white onion but red onions are especially pretty), sprinkle with a few warm spices, then gently roast in the oven, finishing under the broiler for a bit of color. Splayed out in a baking/serving dish, the onions are quite pretty and are good either warm from the oven or at room temperature.

• When to Serve = Moroccan Onions are a welcome make-ahead, warm or room-temperature side with a meat main course, from another Middle-eastern-style dish like Easy Garlic-Herb Mediterranean Chicken ("Med Chicken") or a Tender Pork Tenderloin or even a Whole Turkey at Thanksgiving, say. I've also served them with make-your-own sandwiches instead of Spiced Pickled Red Onions, say.
• Moroccan Onions are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and more.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Onions + Spices (cinnamon, ginger, turmeric or curry, black pepper)
• Short Ingredient List = all the above + olive oil + a touch of sugar + water
• For Garnish = the onions are quite pretty, no need for a garnish
• Kitchen Tools = a sharp knife for slicing the onions, an oven-safe baking dish, a silicone brush, foil (or a lid for the baking dish), that's it
• It takes only 15 minutes to prep the onions, then 40-45 minutes in the oven plus a few minutes under the broiler.
• The onions are quite pretty, the individual rings become visible.
• No special techniques are needed, you can definitely do this!
• Do serve the onions with a small, flat spatula that can easily lift a single onion ring. People aren't quite sure how to dig into these, without the right tool, they may just walk on by and you'll wonder, What? Why?
• This is pantry-friendly recipe, odds are high that you already have all the ingredients on hand.
• This is a calorie-friendly recipe, it's just onion slices roasted with a minimal amount of olive oil, a few spices and a touch of sugar to encourage color.
• This is a budget-friendly recipe, especially if you already have the spices on hand. After that, it's really just the onions and teaspoons of oil and sugar.
• As written, the recipe makes a dozen rings. I use "three" as a serving but for a big meal with lots of options, it's likely closer to 12.
• This recipe scales easily and thus works especially well for those Cooking for One or Two.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• For a pickled version, try my Spiced Pickled Red Onions.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other side dishes recipes.

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You'll Love Moroccan Onions If ...

• An easy, inexpensive, crowd-pleasing side dish is in order
• A full range of serving temperatures is important (hot or room temperature or even chilled)
• You need a last-minute, hands-off side dish for a buffet or a family meal
• You're building a dinner menu of Middle-Eastern-style dishes
• You just love-love-love onions!


• Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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MOROCCAN ONIONS
(also called "Mezgaldi", Moroccan Spiced Onions)

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours
Makes 12 rings

SPICED OIL
• 1 - 3 tablespoons olive oil (see TIPS)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon curry
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

ONIONS
• 4 medium onions (white, red, yellow or sweet, see TIPS)
• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Heat oven to 400F/200C.

SPICED OIL In a small bowl, stir together the oil and spices.

ONIONS Wash the onions and slice off the ends. Peel off the outer papery skins and then cut crosswise into slices about 3/4- to 1-inch thick. Brush both sides with the Spiced Oil, arrange in a baking dish, overlapping a little if needed. Pour over any remaining Spice Oil. Wash the water down the sides of the baking dish, taking care not to rinse the oil and spices off the onions.

BAKE Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes until the onions are soft.

BROIL Remove the baking dish from the oven, turn on the broiler and place an oven rack about six inches below the broiler. Sprinkle the sugar atop the onions and place the baking dish under the broiler until the onion tops brown and caramelize a bit, about 5 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes because they can turn fast.

SERVE If you like, serve hot, otherwise, let cool to room temperature. Serve and savor!

SERVING IDEAS Moroccan Onions are especially good with grilled meats and one contribution to a meze of Middle-Eastern dishes like hummus and olive spread. It's my go-to side dish for Easy Garlic-Herb Mediterranean Chicken ("Med Chicken") and Afghan Chicken & Rice Casserole (Kabeli Palau).

ALANNA’s TIPS The inspiring recipe calls for three tablespoons of olive oil but I drop it back to just one tablespoon with no problem. For fun, the first time I made Moroccan Onions, I sliced up four onion varieties, a yellow onion, a sweet Vidalia onion, a red onion and a white onion. They were all excellent, the red onion (surprisingly) just a little bit not as good and the white onion (again, surprisingly) just a little bit better. But the red onions do look quite pretty, I’d choose them for aesthetics. Overlapping the onion slices makes for a pretty presentation. It helps to put a small wedge of onion beneath the first slice to prop it up a little. The broiler step might seem superfluous, but it's not. That last blast of heat really works to both caramelize the sugars and built up flavor.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2010/10/moroccan-onions-mezgaldi-spiced-onions.html .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 1 tablespoon oil and 3 slices per serving): 86 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 4mg Sodium; 14g Carb; 2g Fiber; 8g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 4 & Freestyle 2 & myWW green 2 & blue 2 & purple 2 & future WW points

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Seasonal Cooking: Early Fall Across the Years

KITCHEN PARADE
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If you like Kitchen Parade's recipes, you'll love A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables with more from-scratch recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, home to the famous Alphabet of Vegetables and vegetables in every course, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

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Calling All the Onion Lovers

more
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• THE RECIPE Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole) Thin ribbons of onion with rice and a little cream and cheese. (PIN This)
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More Recipe Inspiration from Morocco

more
~ Moroccan recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Moroccan Chicken A one-pot stew simmered with eggplant and tomato perfumed with Moroccan spices. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Spiced Chicken Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower A one-pot supper with warm spices. (PIN This)

• START WITH Spiced Preserved Lemons A cornerstone ingredient in Moroccan cuisine. (PIN This)
• THEN MAKE Spiced Chicken Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower A one-pot supper with warm spices. (PIN This)



• THE RECIPE Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings A simple summer dessert.
• ANOTHER TAKE Savory Orange Slices A simple and surprising orange salad.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ onions ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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