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Marinated red onions are simple to make and a gourmet addition to salads, tacos, or meat dishes! The olive oil marinade cuts the sharpness of onions, making them a sweet and flavorful topping.

Also try this Authentic Chimichurri and the Basil Walnut Pesto for other olive oil based, healthy condiments to add flavor to your meals!

A jar filled with marinated red onions with a fork pulling some onions out of the top.

Contents

Add Flavor and Nutrition to Meals!

Homemade condiments are a great thing to prep weekly. Made with healthy oils, like this olive oil marinade, herbs, spices, and vegetables, they can turn a basic salad or grilled meat dish into a restaurant quality offering.

If you find red onions too strong, this is a great recipe to try! Marinating them makes onions less strong. The result is a sweet and pungent, mellow onion flavor, almost as if they had been sauteed.

The onions themselves are pretty magical. A bonus is the marinade is absolutely delicious! I use it as a salad dressing along with an extra splash of vinegar.

There’s so much to love about this marinated red onions recipe:

Making these is as simple as thinly slicing red onions, and tossing them with 4 pantry-staple ingredients.
The marinade doubles as a salad dressing or dip!
Onions are high in flavonols and the anthocyanins, plant compounds with powerful healing powers. Red onions are higher in a flavonol called quercetin than most fruits and veggies, and has been proven to have an impact on asthma, allergies, cancer, and arthritis.

What You Need

Red Onion
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar (any vinegar you enjoy will work here!)
Sea Salt
Oregano

Optionally, add 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. It’s a nice way to change up the flavor if you find yourself coming back to these often!

How to Marinate Red Onions

Step 1: Thinly slice your onions. Do this with a sharp knife, or use a mandoline slicer for very thinly sliced onions.

Step 2: Add onions to a bowl with a lid, and drizzle on olive oil, vinegar, salt and oregano. Mix to evenly coat the onions. If the onions aren’t submerged, add more olive oil. Allow them to sit in the bowl on the counter overnight to soften, and then pack them in a jar. The marinated red onions can sit at room temperature for up to 3 days. There is no need to refrigerate them since the olive oil will preserve them.

Step 1 shows how to slice the red onions, and step 2 shows making the olive oil marinade.

How to Use Marinated Red Onions

As a salad topper: These are used on my Watermelon and Balsamic Chicken Salad. They would also be delicious on this Simple Strawberry Spinach Salad.
On top of grilled meats. These would make Grilled Pork Chops an elegant meal. Also try them on top of this spicy Grilled Chicken.
As a taco topper: These delicious blackened salmon tacos would be perfection with some red onions.
On a charcuterie board.
Try them on pizza.
As a perfect addition to a variety of sandwiches.
They are perfect on top of scrambled eggs or omelets!

How to Store Leftovers

Marinate onions at room temperature for a couple hours prior to using, to allow them to soften.

Use the onions within 2-3 days.

Save the marinade to use as a salad dressing, or use it to saute meats and veggies.

A bowl shown with red onions marinating in vinegar and olive oil.

Other Healthy Condiment Recipes

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