Need a side dish for dinner? Try my Roasted Baby Vidalia Onions and Cherry Tomatoes. Tiny new Vidalia onions are slow-roasted with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh thyme for a huge flavor impact!
As you probably know, the state of Georgia has a proud agricultural heritage. We started out as an agrarian society, and outside of the major metro areas, remain so today.
Some of the products Georgia is best known for include peaches, pecans, peanuts, poultry, and Vidalia onions. Now, I won’t even begin to get into that debate about whose onions are sweeter, Walla Walla or Vidalia, but with me being a through-and-through Southerner and all, you can probably guess where my preference lies.
Vidalias are grown in a specific geographic area where the soil, temperature, and environment all come together in a perfect mix to create these lovely, sweet onions. The backstory of Vidalia onions, according to the Vidalia Onion website, goes like this:
How Vidalia Onions Came To Be
What is now a deeply-entrenched summer tradition started out as a fluke. During the tough days of the Great Depression, farmers had high hopes of a new cash crop. These hard-working men had grown everything from corn to cotton in Georgia’s sandy soil, and onions seemed to hold some promise of better profits. Imagine their surprise and concern when what grew was not an instant money-maker but a strange onion that wasn’t hot!
Soon, word of “those sweet onions from Vidalia” began to spread throughout the state, and a name was born. As fortune would have it, Piggly Wiggly grocery store happened to be headquartered in Vidalia. Recognizing the potential of the peculiar produce, the gentlemen who ran “The Pig” gladly helped farmers from all over the Vidalia area get their newfound sweeties on store shelves.
As their onion began its ascent to national fame, local support soared. Vidalia onions had their own annual festival in Glenville, Georgia by 1977 and in Vidalia, Georgia by 1978, traditions that continues today. In 1990, Vidalia onions became the Official State Vegetable of Georgia. From the local market in the 1940s to the national super stores of today, the popularity of Vidalia Onions continues to escalate. No longer just a “southern thing,” Vidalias are available in 50 states and most of Canada.
Mature Vidalia onions are only available fresh from April through mid-September, but for a couple of months during the winter, these delicious baby Vidalias come to the market. If you can get your hands on some, grab them and make this little side dish. It’s great along with baked chicken or even served bruschetta style on a slice of toasted baguette.
How to Make Roasted Baby Vidalia Onions and Cherry Tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare the onions by removing a small slice from the root end and any limp or brown stems. Cut each in half lengthwise.
- Prepare the cherry tomatoes by slicing in half.
- Place the onions and tomato halves on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the thyme over the baking sheet.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables.
- With your impeccably clean hands, toss until all the ingredients are coated with olive oil.
- Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are wilted and lightly browned.
👉 PRO TIP: For extra flavor, try using a garlic-infused olive oil!
If you enjoy this recipe, you’ll also want to try my Melange of Onions, English Onion Soup, Chicken Tortilla Onion Soup, and Vidalia Onion Gratin recipes!
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Roasted Baby Vidalia Onions and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 bunch baby Vidalia onions
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 stems fresh thyme
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare the onions by removing a small slice from the root end and any limp or brown stems. Cut each in half lengthwise.
- Prepare the cherry tomatoes by slicing in half.
- Place the onions and tomato halves on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the thyme over the baking sheet.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables.
- Toss until all the ingredients are coated with olive oil.
- Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are wilted and lightly browned.
Notes
- For extra flavor, try using a garlic-infused olive oil.
- Serve as a side dish or a bruschetta topping.
- Leftovers may be stored in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
i’ve never seen a baby vidalia Lana – how cute! and i bet these are even tastier roasted – i really could make an entire meal out of this!!!
vidalia are the best onions, bernie loves them and during may (we get them here in may)
i dry and can about 50 pounds of them
those pictures are making me hungry lana
big time, i love caramelized onions especially with liver
I agree, Vi, the Vidalias are so good. The flavor just can’t be beat!
now we all know vidalias are sweeter and I know if I could get my hands on those baby onions, I’d eat them like celery sticks… great recipe Lana… would be so good with roasted quail in sherry…
Aw, darn it! Now you’ve got me craving quail again. Well, here I go on another hunt for those elusive little birdies.
Years ago my grandfather (Pa Guyte)would get sweet onions from Texas. He had a friend who brought them to him. He would store them for the winter by tieing them up in nylon hose and hang them in a dry storage shed. When he wanted onions he would go and cut the onion off of the nylon string as he put a knot between each onion. They were very much like the Vidalia, however, the vidalias are much sweeter. This dish looks great, wish Pa Guyte could taste it.
I’ve had some of those Texas Sweets and I agree that our Vidalias are just a touch sweeter. I’ve heard that’s the best way to store the onions – tied in nylon hose like that. They keep for several months that way.
This reminds me of Barcelona. I went for the month of January one year and went to a restaurant that served onions cooked on tiles. They were the most delicious onions I ever ate. I am going to try this recipe in the spring here when the onions come into season.
You made my mouth water today.
I’ll bet those onions in Barcelona were totally delicious! Hope you’ll find these nearly as good :-)
I’ve never cooked with baby vidalias before! What a beautiful side dish.
I always grab them as soon as I see them in the stores. They’re only available for a short time during the winter months.
What a killer topping for bread. I wish I could get my hands on some of those baby Vidalias but I guessing I won’t see them in Wyoming! I will have to try it with some baby sweet onions from my garden this summer.
Or you could try it with some of the larger scallions. It is really good on bread. The onions, which are already sweet to start with, get even sweeter while roasting.