Baked Onion Rings

I love onions...no, that doesn't express my adoration for onions quite enough...I LLLUUURRRVVVEEE onions. There we go, that should do it! ;) When I came across a recipe for a healthier version of onion rings, I didn't even think twice. It was happening.

Although I'm always a bit skeptical of typically fatty, greasy, fried, wonderful things tweaked to be made "healthier", I wanted to give them a whirl...mainly because Pinterest told me it would be worth it...and Pinterest has never lied before...cue eye roll. However, I wasn't that disappointed! Were they as good as the calorie fest that typical onion rings are? Well, no...but they were still pretty tasty. There were some steps I wish I would have paid a little more attention to, so I made the notes below. OH...and the dipping sauce! Oh Gina, the dipping sauce was amazing. I can't believe I almost forgot to mention the sauce! ;) Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion (peeled, sliced, and separated into rings)

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon of milk

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs (I used Italian because that is what I had on hand)

1/2 cup of panko crumbs

1/3 cup of whole wheat flour

salt and pepper to taste

cooking spray

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup of mayo

1/4 cup of ketchup

1 teaspoon of Sriracha

Directions

First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Heavily spray that lined sheet with cooking spray...just go nuts with it.

Next, whisk your egg whites and milk, then set aside.

Next, toss your bread crumbs and panko crumbs in a separate bowl, then set aside.

In a Ziploc bag, combine your flour, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag and shake until well mixed. (Great task for a moving and shaking four year old during a dance party...just sayin'!)

Now set up a little assembly line because the fun has just started! First, shake a few of your onions in the bag to thoroughly coat with the seasonings. (I didn't do this enough!) Second, take one ring at a time and dunk in the egg white/milk wash to thoroughly coat. ( I also didn't do this enough!)

Third, dip the ring in the crumb mixture to thoroughly coat. (You guessed it, I didn't do this enough either!). 

Place your beautifully coated rings on the lined cooking sheet in a single layer, spray once more with your cooking spray for good measure, and then place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you would like them.

While they are baking, mix all the ingredients of your sauce and place in the refrigerator to cool until serving. 

When you feel your onion rings are perfect, remove and let cool before serving. If football season, place on an adorable purple and gold serving dish...because Geaux Tigers!

As you can tell, mine just weren't coated enough and some partied in the oven just a tad too long. But, that didn't stop my gang from enjoying them! The amazing sauce probably had something to do with that. Seriously, she might look skeptical in the photo below...but she ate the whole thing! ;)