National Bacon Day is on Wednesday, Dec. 30, and to celebrate we’ve found some of the best creative recipes that include bacon, so you can celebrate this day without leaving your house.
Check out some of these recipes, courtesy of Damndelicious.net.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes. You’ll need six slices of bacon, three pounds of red potatoes, chopped; one and a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided; one tablespoon of ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix, or more to taste; and two tablespoons chopped chives.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread bacon in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool before crumbling; set aside. For the potatoes, line a slow cooker with aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang to wrap the potatoes on top, and coat with nonstick spray. Place a layer of potatoes evenly into the slow cooker. Top with cheese, ranch seasoning and bacon, repeating two more times. Reserve a half cup of the cheese. Cover potatoes with aluminum foil. Cover and cook on low heat for seven to eight hours or high heat for three to four hours, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with remaining half cup cheese. Cover and cook for about a minute or two, until melted, and serve immediately.
Bacon-wrapped Tater Tot Bombs. For ingredients, you’ll need two cups frozen tater tots at room temperature, one ounce sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch squares; four slices bacon, quartered; 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed, and one tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside. Working one at a time, wrap each tater tot and cheese square in a piece of bacon. Repeat with remaining tater tots, cheese squares and bacon pieces. Dredge each tater tot in the brown sugar, pressing to coat. Place tater tots seam side down onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, using metal tongs to turn at halftime. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
Harvest Cobb Salad. This is the perfect fall salad with the creamiest poppyseed salad dressing. You’ll need four slices bacon, diced; two large eggs, six cups chopped romaine lettuce, one diced apple, one diced pear, 1/2 cup Fisher Nuts Pecan Halves, 1/3 cup dried cranberries, and 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese. For the poppy seed dressing, prepare 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk, two tablespoons sugar, one tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and one tablespoon poppy seeds.
To make the poppy seed dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, sugar, apple cider vinegar and poppy seeds in a small bowl, and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid and remove from heat; set aside for eight to 10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and dicing.
To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with arranged rows of bacon, eggs, apple, pear, pecans, cranberries and goat cheese. Serve immediately with the poppy seed dressing.
Bacon and Avocado Macaroni Salad. This salad is loaded with fresh avocado and applewood smoked bacon tossed in a lemon-thyme dressing. For this recipe, you’ll need 12 ounces elbows pasta, five slices bacon, diced; two avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and diced; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, two teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, for garnish. For the lemon thyme dressing, you’ll need 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, one and a half tablespoons lemon zest, one tablespoon sugar, one teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and 1/3 cup olive oil.
To make the dressing, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and thyme in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
In a large bowl, combine pasta, bacon, avocado, lemon-thyme dressing, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with thyme.
Jalapeño Popper Pizza. You’ll four slices bacon, diced; two tablespoons olive oil; four jalapeño chiles, sliced; one Thai red chili pepper, sliced; one shallot, sliced; 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal, one 13.8-ounce can refrigerated classic pizza crust; one 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature; and two cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about six to eight minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, jalapeño, red chili pepper and shallot; set aside.
Working on a surface that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, roll out the pizza into a 12-inch-diameter round. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet or pizza pan. Spread cream cheese evenly over the top, leaving a one-inch border. Top with bacon, jalapeño mixture and cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball. You can never go wrong with bacon and ranch together. For this, you’ll need six slices bacon, diced; 1/4 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided; two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature; one cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese,
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese, one 1-ounce package Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix, homemade or store-bought; and one teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about six to eight minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In a small bowl, combine half of the bacon, pecans and two tablespoons parsley; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, Ranch Seasoning, Worcestershire and remaining bacon and parsley on medium-high until well combined and fluffy, about one to two minutes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. Shape the mixture into a ball and roll in the prepared bacon-pecan mixture. Serve with crackers.