Quick and Delicious Pickled Onions

I'm going to admit, I was late to the game in discovering the glory of pickled onions, but boy am I glad I found them! They are so good. We like to add them to tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, or chopped up on sausage or in a salad. There really are so many ways to eat them. Even better, this recipe is super quick and easy to make. People will think you are so fancy when you start pulling out all your homemade condiments. Joke's on them, because it is so easy! It's like when you wear your fancy clothes to work and everyone tells you how fancy you look but really it was just because you hadn't done laundry in a week and ran out of your normal clothes. Anyone else do that? Ok, I digress, but y'all seriously need to try these pickled onions. Not that you need more reasons to try them, but did you see how fun and pink they are??

As far as what type of onions to use, I've most commonly seen pickled onions made with red onion, so that's what I'm used to using, but I suppose you could pickle any type of onion that you like. The red ones are fun too because they give off such a bright pink color.

When cutting the onions, you can really chop them however you want. I like to do thin slices because I like little bits of pickled onion mixed with the other flavors of whatever I'm serving them with rather than large chunks, but you do you!

When it comes to what type of jar to use, there are plenty of options too. This recipe makes enough to fill a quart sized jar (32oz), but if you don't have that particular size, you can just as easily divide the onions and brine amongst several smaller jars. Screw top jars or pop top jars (like what's shown in the picture) will both work. Personally, I prefer a pop top jar because I find them easier to open, but either style will do. You can even re-use an old pasta sauce jar or something similar. Just don't forget to wash it well, so that it doesn't impart any flavors from it's previous life onto your pickled onions.

As with pickling or fermenting other things, you will want to make sure that whatever style jar you use is cleaned and sterilized before you use it. Pickles can last for months in the fridge, so starting with a clean jar is key to ensure that you don't develop any mold. I like to clean my jars with white vinegar and boiling water.

Quick and Delicious Pickled Onions

Yield: 1 quart jar full of onions

Ingredients:

2-3 medium sized red onions

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

3/4 c white vinegar

1 c water

Tools/Equipment:

1 quart (32oz) glass jar with lid

Small bowl or glass measuring cup

Instructions:

1. Cut onions into thin slices. Discard whatever bits you wouldn't normally eat.

2. Add sliced onions to a clean glass jar, packing it full to the top.

3. Peel garlic and finely chop. Add to jar with onions.

4. To make brine, add white vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Stir vigorously until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

5. Pour brine over onions, so that they are fully submerged. If the brine doesn't cover the onions fully, fill the remainder of the jar with water.

6. Place lid on jar and put in fridge.

7. The onions will immediately start to absorb the brine, so you can technically eat them as soon as you want. However, the pickled flavor will build over time and the harsher raw onion flavor will start to subside. I usually try to make them at least a day or so before I want to eat them, but do what works for you.

8. When not in use, store the pickled onions in the refrigerator. Should last for up to several months.