Bring Home the Bacon for National Bacon Lovers Day

Photo courtesy of Blake Carpenter

Happy National Bacon Lovers Day (Aug. 20) to all who observe! Bacon’s savory, satisfying crunch is perhaps best known as part of the classic New Yorker bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich and the simple staple BLT. Bacon is a perennial staple at the breakfast table, but it’s simply too delicious to be relegated to only one meal of the day. Here are a few recipes that incorporate bacon into every meal of the day. 

Get Cooking

Part of bacon’s appeal is that it’s relatively easy to cook. (For a pork alternative, you can use turkey bacon instead.) If you’re using a stovetop, simply take your bacon strips, place them in a wide pan, and cook to the desired level of crispiness. No cooking oil is necessary for this fatty meat, but watch out for the hot bacon grease that may fly off the pan when things start to get hot. For conventional oven users, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When your oven is ready, lay the bacon strips on a sheet pan, place it in the oven, and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until appropriately crispy. 

Breakfast: BLT Bagels with Hollandaise Sauce

Start your day off right with BLT-topped bagels with hollandaise sauce. This inspired combination of the classic sandwich and the buttery, lemony goodness of hollandaise takes only 15 minutes to prepare. This recipe is from “Let’s Do Brunch: Mouth-Watering Meals to Start Your Day,” published by Inc. Sterling Publishing Co. 

Serves 2.

Ingredients

2 large bagels, halved horizontally

2 tbsp. Butter, softened

8 slices of bacon

2 tsp. Olive oil

2 tomatoes

⅔ cup of store-bought hollandaise sauce

3 oz. arugula 

Black pepper  

Recipe

1. Heat up the stovetop or the oven. Once warm enough, begin cooking your bacon until it has reached your desired crispiness level. 
2. Toast the bagels until golden brown. Spread generously with butter. 
3. Heat the olive oil in a small pan on the stovetop. When hot, add the tomatoes and fry for about a minute, until they are lightly charred. 
4. Put the hollandaise sauce in a warm pan and heat gently. 
5. To assemble, top the bagels with arugula, tomatoes, and bacon. Drizzle the warm hollandaise sauce over the bacon and season lightly with pepper. Enjoy!  

Appetizer: Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Spicy and savory are a match made in heaven. Treat your dinner guests to an appetizer of bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers. Who can resist such creamy, crunchy goodness? 

Make sure to scrape out those spicy seeds, unless you’re feeling especially brave. 

Serves 4. 

Ingredients 

12 jalapeños

12 slice of bacon

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

1 cup of pepperjack cheese, shredded 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Black pepper

Kosher salt

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. 
2. In a large bowl, combine your cream cheese, pepperjack, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 
3. Halve jalapeños horizontally and scrape out the seeds. Fill the jalapeños with your cheesy mixture and wrap with a slice of bacon. 
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and peppers are tender. Let sit for a few minutes to cool down and then enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from Delish.

Lunch: Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese

This might be the perfect rainy day meal. It’s hearty, it’s warm, and of course, it’s got bacon! 

Serves 2. 

Ingredients

4 slices of white bread

4 slices of cheese American cheese

4 slices of havarti or pepperjack cheese 

8 slices of bacon

8 slices of tomato 

¼ cup of butter

Recipe

1. Cook your bacon on the stove until crispy. 
2. Heat a large skillet over your stovetop. Spread butter onto each side of your bread, place the bread in the skillet butter-side down, and heat gently. As the bread warms, top each slice with a slice of American cheese, a slice of havarti or pepperjack, and a slice of tomato. 
3. Add your cooked bacon to your bread slices and combine so that all ingredients melt together. Continue heating until the bread is golden brown and serve! 

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.

Dinner: Spaghetti Carbonara 

When you think of Italian cooking, you might not think of bacon, but rest assured, this is a classic Italian dish. The rich, cheesy carbonara sauce is the perfect partner to bacon’s crunch.  

Serves 4. 

Ingredients 

• Kosher salt
• 12 oz. spaghetti noodles
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 8 slices of bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Black pepper
• Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Recipe

1. Place a large pot of water on the stove and salt to taste. Heat until boiling. Then cook pasta until al dente. Save one cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Meanwhile, heat up your bacon in a skillet until cooked. Keep the skillet on low heat with the leftover bacon grease and transfer the slices onto a paper towel lined plate. Lightly pat the bacon dry, and then break up the slices into bite-size bits. 
3. In a medium bowl, whip eggs and parmesan together with a whisk until smoothly combined.
4. Add garlic to the greasy skillet and cook until fragrant. Add your cooked pasta and toss until fully coated in garlic and bacon fat. Remove from the skillet from heat.  
5. Pour the cheesy egg mixture over the pasta and stir vigorously until creamy. Add pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to keep the sauce light. 
6. Season with salt and pepper and evenly mix in the bacon bits.
7. Garnish with parmesan and parsley and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Delish.