No, I did not sautée the onion - but then I am a raw onion lover - so I like the strength of it's flavour raw or just slightly cooked... although these were roasted for some time, so whilst they dont have the golden finish, they were in fact cooked. I would imagine that if you sautee the onion it would add a great new dimension tot he flavour, as fried onion always does... but sometimes, I am lazy haha!!!