Onions Healthy Food Guide

Peak season: March through September. Scallions and chives are in season March through August.

Recipe shown above: Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola

I will not move my army without onions!

—Ulysses S. Grant

Onions are an assumed part of most meals, whether they form a base for a stew or garnish for a salad. Most of the time they are not the focus of a dish, they’re included to enhance the other flavors in the dish. But after enjoying a steaming bowl of French onion soup, it’s easy to see that onions can also take center stage.

The vitality of onions goes beyond their flavor. Egyptians worshipped the bulbous globes as a sign of eternity, and while onions may not help us live forever, they might help add a few years to our lives. According to recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who eat lots of onions and garlic are less likely to develop major cancers.

So there’s every reason to make onions the stars when you cook, instead of relegating them to supporting roles. Here we’ve provided recipes and ideas to help you take advantage of onions to their full potential.