Baked Pumpkin Onion Rings

Yes, you read that correctly.  It says pumpkin onion rings.  I have been making lots of pumpkin goodies lately.  I was on the computer chatting with a fellow pumpkin spice latte lover and joked about pumpkin onion rings, than thought...hey, that may turn out to be great.  I was right. 

I had intended to bake onion rings for awhile, having found a recipe I thought would be perfect.  I read a few recipes online that said the most difficult part is getting the breading to stick to the onion.  This is easily achieved with the pumpkin, and boy is it good.  The family gobbled them up no problem.  They even ate what was leftover today for lunch.  I did make the original baked onion rings too, just in case the pumpkin ones didn't turn out.  Everyone liked the pumpkin ones better...so don't be afraid to try it!

Preheat the oven to 425.  Slice your onion and pull apart the pieces into rings. 

Season the onion slices with Pumpkin Pie Spice and then coat them with flour.

Coat the floured onion in a mixture of pumpkin and egg whites.  I used about a half a can of pumpkin and thinned it out with the egg whites using a whisk.

Coat the onion with Panko bread crumbs and place onto prepared pan.  (Pour two tablespoons of olive oil onto a sheet pan and place into the oven for two minutes.  Take pan out and coat pan with hot oil.)

Place coated rings onto pan.  Place into 425 degree oven for 8 minutes.  Flip rings and bake for another 8 minutes.

Rings should be golden brown.  Lightly sprinkle with salt.

The rings to the right were seasoned with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  They were then dipped in egg whites and coated with Panko bread crumbs.

I served them with grilled chicken on a bun.  Yummy!  Was hoping for a pumpkin beer, but my husband didn't go get it.  :(  Next time for sure!