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German Onion Pie

Or Zwiebelkuchen, if you’re being traditional…

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German Onion Pie (or Zwiebelkuchen, if you’re being totally traditional) is a simple and savory pie filled with bacon, caramelized onions, and cream. It’s rich and creamy – think quiche with a creamier base – and it’s the type of thing you might enjoy for any meal of the day… or as a quick savory side if you happen to be attending Germany’s autumnal wine festivals.

For how savory and delicious this pie is, it’s amazing that it really just relies on a handful of ingredients. It usually starts with bacon – though not always – which you’ll want to brown up in a skillet before removing it and adding plenty of chopped onions to the drippings.

The onions you’ll want to cook until they’re soft and sweet, but not browned, so it’s not a thirty minute undertaking like true caramelized onions. Once they’ve cooled a bit, you spread the bacon and the onions in a pie shell…

… and then top them with a mixture of eggs, cream, a touch of flour, and a few caraway seeds.

The filling sets into an almost custardy base in the oven, while some of the onions rise to the top. Every bite is rich, thanks to the cream, bacon, and fragrant onions, but it’s all accented with that signature flavor of caraway which keeps the richness from being too much. It’s simple, sure, but its unique and savory flavor is one you won’t soon forget.

Serves 6

15m prep time

30m cook time

4.5
Rated 4.5 out of 5
Rated by 15 reviewers
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Ingredients
  • 1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
  • 4 slices thick bacon, diced
  • 2 cups yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the pan.
  3. Add onions to skillet and cook until soft, but do not brown. Reduce heat if needed. Once softened, set aside to cool.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat the sour cream and eggs together. Add flour, salt, and pepper, and caraway seeds, and mix to combine.
  5. Prick pie dough with a fork a few times to prevent bubbles, then spread bacon and cooked onions over the shell.
  6. Pour sour cream mixture over the top and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 15 minutes more, or until top has set. Serve hot and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from CD Kitchen.