Recipes With Bacon: A Little Bit for a Lot of Taste

We’ve all heard the bad news: Processed meats have been linked to health risks, and we need to limit our consumption. That means cutting back on cold cuts, shortchanging sausage, and — dare we say it — banishing bacon.

If it’s bacon you just can’t quit, you’re in fine company. We feel the same way about those mouthwatering strips of salty, chewy goodness. Fortunately, bacon doesn’t have to play the lead role in a meal to be the star of the show. Check out these unusually delicious ways we found to incorporate bacon into your meals, in smaller amounts that may pose less of a health risk.

Recipes With Bacon: Bacon Guacamole

Guacamole is delicious all on its own, but this recipe from Food & Wine elevates it with the addition of bacon. Bacon adds complexity to the taste of guacamole, with its salty and smoky flavors. It changes the texture too: the bacon gives the guacamole some bite, which makes it a good match for spreading on foods with a soft texture, like quesadillas or burritos. Of course, this guacamole is delicious with crunchy tortilla chips too.

Try making guacamole with an authentic Mexican molcajete, just like they do tableside at upscale Mexican restaurants.

Recipes With Bacon: Bacon Corn Muffins

Corn muffins are a simple side that goes well with a variety of cold-weather meals. We’ve seen cheese and jalapeños added to corn muffins and corn bread, but we’ve never tried adding bacon. While you can grab a box of corn muffin mix, we’re tempted by  this recipe from Kerrygold that incorporates chopped crispy bacon. Be advised: the recipe only makes six muffins, which would provoke an argument at our house. We recommend doubling the ingredients for the sake of family peace.

Need a muffin pan? We've got one that makes six muffins, and one that makes 12 muffins. Take your pick!

Recipes With Bacon: Bacon Pancakes

Why eat your pancakes and bacon separately when you can have them together in a delicious sweet and salty combination? Of course you can add some bacon bits to pancake mix and ladle it onto the griddle, but we’ll opt for  this recipe from The Cookie Rookie. These pancakes sound like they’d be spectacular no matter what add-ins you stirred into them.

We’ve seen recipes with a strip of bacon down the center of the pancake. If that appeals to you, we won’t stand in your way. But the taste sensation we’re craving is a little bit of sweet and salty in every bite. That’s why we’ll go for bits over strips.

Whip up batch after batch of pancakes with this easy-to-clean nonstick griddle.

Recipes With Bacon: Bacon Vinaigrette

Warm bacon vinaigrette is an ideal way to dress a spinach salad, especially when you’re serving mature spinach leaves. Baby spinach can’t stand up to the wilting caused by the warmth of the dressing, but it’s perfect for larger, hardier leaves.  This recipe from Fine Cooking could be a heavy dressing or a light sauce. Drizzle it over spinach leaves, or spoon it over steamed vegetables. Don’t forget to sprinkle the bacon bits over whatever greens you’re serving.

A good whisk will come in handy more often than you'd expect, not just for salad dressing.

Recipes With Bacon: Bacon Vegetables

If you don’t feel like making a dressing or sauce out of your bacon drippings, sauté vegetables in them instead. Cook bacon in the skillet, remove it to cool, and toss some shallots or garlic in the bacon fat. Then add vegetables of your choice: broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas, corn, diced potatoes, zucchini, or cauliflower, just to give you a few ideas. This strategy is especially useful if you have self-proclaimed veggie haters. A bit of bacon might change their minds.

From cast iron to copper, and from nonstick to stainless steel, we've got skillets and fry pans you'll love.

Recipes With Bacon: Bacon Jam

This isn’t your grandmother’s strawberry jam. Bacon jam is worlds apart from the  sweet jam that pairs with peanut butter. You’ll want to give it a try anyway, especially if you’ve never made it yourself. This recipe from Leite’s Culinaria is our top choice, for a couple reasons. First, it incorporates all the key ingredients we kept seeing in other recipes, like apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and brewed coffee. Second, it includes instructions for simmering on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, so you can choose your preferred method.

Spread bacon jam on crackers or biscuits, spoon it on top of burgers or inside grilled cheese sandwiches. Bacon jam work in place of other savory condiments in all sorts of ways.

Are you convinced you need a slow cooker, or to upgrade to a bigger one? We can help!