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These whole roasted shallots make a tasty and beautiful addition to your dinner table! Balsamic vinegar and butter add an extra special touch to this easy vegetable side dish.
If you’re looking for side dish ideas, here’s something a little different. Shallots are added to plenty of recipes (sometimes raw, sometimes cooked), but have you ever considered roasting them?
Roasting mellows that sharp onion flavor, and you’re left with melt-in-your-mouth shallots with that wonderful caramelized flavor that comes from cooking them slowly.
I roasted them in a simple mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper. I had some thyme on hand, so I threw that in the dish too, but I don’t really think it’s necessary. It added a bit of flavor, but nothing too noticeable.
I am curious how this would turn out with sprigs of rosemary – I think it would be amazing. Something about rosemary screams fall to me!
I was thinking about what point to add the butter, and I decided that right at the end would work best. I didn’t want to chance burning it since these do cook for a full hour, and even adding it halfway through cooking seemed like it might be pushing it.
Adding it just before serving ensures that the shallots are wonderfully coated in the melted butter, and it just adds a richness to the balsamic vinegar that takes this dish to the next level. 🙂
Not to get ahead of myself, but this would make a wonderful easy Thanksgiving side dish or Christmas side dish. File it away for later. 😉 I will be adding more delicious side dishes to the blog in the coming months… so stay tuned!
Hope you love this roasted shallot recipe!
Have you ever roasted shallots?
Talk to me in the comments below!
Whole Roasted Shallots
Ingredients
- 16 large shallots (roughly the same size) peeled & ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Thyme or rosemary sprigs (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position.
- Prep the shallots and add them to a baking dish along with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt & pepper. Toss them so they're evenly coated. Place the thyme or rosemary sprigs in the dish if using.
- Roast for 60 minutes or until the shallots are softened and lightly browned, turning/stirring them half way through. I suggest keeping an eye on the shallots after about 45 minutes or so, especially if they're smaller than the ones I used. You could probably roast them for longer if you prefer the color to be even deeper.
- Take them out of the oven and immediately add the butter right into the baking dish. Toss to coat and serve the shallots immediately.
Notes
- 16 may seem like an arbitrary number, and it kind of is. I just felt that quantity fit well in the baking dish I was planning on using. Feel free to increase/decrease as needed!
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Want more veggie side dish recipes? Try my easy roasted radishes, my roasted baby bok choy recipe, or my maple pecan Brussels sprouts recipe.
Sounds wonderful and super-easy, except that I’ll be serving the shallots alongside of leg of lamb, which cooks at 325 degrees.
Can I cook the shallots for 1 1/2 hours (or more) along with the roast?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Sue! I’ve only tested this recipe as written, but I think that sounds like a good plan! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Step 2 starts with “Prep the shallots” but it never really says how to prep them for roasting, which I’ve never done before.
Hi! In the ingredients list it says “peel and trim the ends”. Hope you enjoy them!
I made these for a Christmas side and everyone was obsessed with them – they were so good! Super sweet and savory and delicious. They were caramelized and amazing and somehow like a classic caramelized onion but 100 times better. Our filet roast got a bit overcooked, so these made an absolutely delish topper to make them a bit more flavorful and exciting. I only wish I’d made more – the recipe suggested 16 (which did fit well in my baking dish) but in a household of more than 4 people, those didn’t go very far, even though it seemed like a lot when we were at the market. I had dried rosemary on hand, but I think fresh would be good. Would also really recommend for kids who need to get in their veggies, I was always awful about it (still am) but these would probably be well-loved.
I also definitely want to experiment with slicing them in half lengthwise before cooking. I think that might expose more of them to the heat and add even more roasty flavors, or at least help to keep the delicious drippings on the shallots and not at the bottom of the dish (where we gladly dipped our bread). I’m recommending this to everyone!
That’s great!! 🙂 I’m so happy to hear that. Yes… let me know if you try cutting them first. I imagine they would get more of that nice charred flavor.
Amazingly easy and delicious! I hadn’t ever thought to roast shallots, but this was so good! Adding to my regular recipe collection!
Yay so happy to hear that, Ted! 🙂