Ask the Internet: Recipes Without Onions?

Edited @ 1pm EST: Sweet readers! Blogger comments aren't publishing right now, across the board, all over the U.S. Hopefully, it'll be fixed this afternoon, and all your replies (of which there have been many) will show up. Until then ... uh ... keep writing? And I'll wait to publish until Blogger has things up and running? Yeah. That sounds good.

ETA: They're working again! Fire away!

This week’s (very good) question comes from reader Allie.

Q: My roommate is extremely sensitive to onions. I can't chop or cook them when she's home; or at least, not without asking her to shut herself up in her bedroom for a couple of hours. For that reason, I keep a special eye out for onion-free recipes, but they're a minority by far within my repertoire.

So here's my question for your readers: can you recommend any onion-free recipes - particularly single-dish meals, or dishes that are fairly simple to prepare? (Bonus points for vegetarian recipes.)

A: This is a great question, since I'm sure we all know/love somebody with a sensitivity to/hatred for onions. My own sister is anti-Allium, though she makes exceptions for the minced onions on a Big Mac. She’s weird, that one.

While chilis and stir fries are largely out the window, you might want to add more egg and pasta dishes in your repertoire. Beyond that, some of my favorite onion-free single-dish recipes include:

• Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce
• Elbows with Broccoli and Chickpeas (onion optional)
• Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
• Bruschetta Chicken Bake
• Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

Readers, what say you? What are your favorite onionless meals? What do you substitute for onions? Do you have any tricks for getting around an onion sensitivity? Do tell.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.