Onion dip is a party staple. To dress up this classic dip for Christmas gathering use caramelized onions. After tasting this recipe, you will never make onion dip with soup mix again. (Well, maybe never!) You do find the traditional sour cream in this dip, but the onion flavor comes from fresh, thinly sliced onions that are cooked nice and slow until they caramelize.
Caramelized Onion Dip
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 1-1/4 cups dip
2 cups chopped yellow onions
3 tablespoons light olive oil
1 cup sour cream (or no-fat sour cream)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan to a rich golden brown, stirring about every 4 minutes. This step will take about 20 minutes.
Feel free to experiment with other types of onion if you don't like the yellow kind.
Cool to room temperature, and then fold the onions into the sour cream. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Pack into a covered container and preferably refrigerate at least overnight, up to 3 days. Serve with an assortment of vegetables and chips.
The flavor improves quite a bit if the dip sits overnight. In a pinch, you may serve this the same day. But take advantage of the dip’s make-ahead feature, and you'll not only save yourself last-minute prep time in the kitchen, but will be rewarded with a better-tasting dip.
