Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 26 Recipes To Prove That Bacon Makes Everything Better By Southern Living Editors Updated on July 18, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Monica Farber/Southern Living Which is more tantalizing—the smell of frying bacon or the sound of the sizzle? Traditionally relegated to breakfast or the BLT, bacon has now found its way into almost every dish imaginable. Candied bacon swizzles are used as cocktail garnishes, bacon bits are baked into chocolate chip cookies, and have you ever heard of a PB&B? You can go crazy with your bacon love all you want, but this lineup of bacon recipes will show you how to cook bacon in a few of our favorite ways. Corn-and-Bacon Fettuccine? Absolutely. Stuffed Okra Poppers? Yes please. While it is true that bacon can be an integral component of most any dish, you still can't beat the iconic combination of bacon and eggs. Unless it's bacon and pancakes. Just add coffee. So break out the cast-iron skillet and get to frying. Just be sure to save those drippings. 01 of 26 Stuffed Okra Poppers Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Stuffed Okra Poppers If jalapeño poppers pack a little too much spice for you, these Stuffed Okra Poppers might be more your speed. 02 of 26 Creamy Rice with Scallops Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Creamy Rice with Scallops Bacon adds a smoky, salty flavor to the sweet corn and scallops. 03 of 26 Grilled Balsamic-Molasses Bacon Jennifer Davick; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Grilled Balsamic-Molasses Bacon Tie fresh rosemary sprigs to the handle of a wooden spoon with garden sisal or kitchen string, and use as an aromatic basting brush for the bacon. 04 of 26 Bacon-Hash Brown Quiche Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Bacon-Hash Brown Quiche Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—this crunchy bacon and hash brown crust is amazing. 05 of 26 Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts The kids will gladly give up their chicken fingers for this delicious meal. 06 of 26 Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing Bacon topping is a salad is good. Bacon dressing is even better. 07 of 26 Party Poppers Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Party Poppers This quick and easy appetizer, with just a few ingredients and even fewer steps, will make entertaining easy without the hassle of fussing over the oven all day and night. For those who like it hot, swap mini sweet peppers for spicy jalapeños. 08 of 26 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Alison Miksch Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Sweet potatoes are often a part of Thanksgiving, and this recipe gives you a new twist on that classic flavor. Orange juice gives this dish a little sweetness, while pieces of crumbled bacon will give you something to savor, and rosemary will give it an aroma all its own. Delicious together, this sweet-and-salty side could not be easier to prep on Thanksgiving morning. Best part? It's made in the slow cooker, so you're saving valuable stovetop space. When you're ready to serve it, sprinkle a mixture of parsley, orange zest, and garlic over the top: you'll get just the right amount of herbs, spice, and bite in every mouthful. 09 of 26 Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche Photo: Alison Miksch Recipe: Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche Spread cheese to the edge of the warm, bacony grits "crust" to prevent any custard from seeping out while the quiche bakes. 10 of 26 Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon-and-Cheddar Biscuits Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon-and-Cheddar Biscuits These homemade buttery biscuits are made with sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and chives, making them just as tasty solo as atop this chicken pot pie. 11 of 26 Cornmeal-and-Brown Sugar-Crusted Bacon Jennifer Davick Recipe: Cornmeal-and-Brown Sugar-Crusted Bacon Dress up your bacon with this oh-so-Southern crispy coating. Once you've prepared it for the pan, you can stick the bacon in the oven and free your hands up to prepare other parts of your meal. 12 of 26 Pecan Rosemary Candied Bacon Southern Living Recipe: Pecan Rosemary Candied Bacon If you thought that bacon couldn't get any better, try adding pecans and rosemary. 13 of 26 Sautéed Radishes with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Sautéed Radishes with Bacon Adding bacon is a surefire way to upgrade that veggie side. 14 of 26 Bacon Pancakes Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Bacon Pancakes Bacon is no longer just a breakfast side—it's cooked right on top of these pancakes. 15 of 26 Bacon-Pimiento Guacamole Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Bacon-Pimiento Guacamole Pimiento cheese meets guacamole in this ultimate mash-up recipe. 16 of 26 Corn-and-Bacon Fettuccine Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Corn-and-Bacon Fettuccine Smoky bacon and sweet corn collide in this warm-weather pasta dish. 17 of 26 Crab-and-Bacon Linguine Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Crab-and-Bacon Linguine Consider this simple pasta dish your new favorite way to do surf and turf. 18 of 26 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Recipe: Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Two ingredients make these Bacon Bow Tie Crackers the simplest appetizer ever. 19 of 26 Bacon Wrapped Smokies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Smokies Bacon-wrapped mini hot dogs are the ultimate way to start a party. 20 of 26 Bacon-Cheese Gougères Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Bacon-Cheese Gougères This appetizer may sound fancy, but it's surprisingly easy to pull off. 21 of 26 Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon The only way to improve upon mac and cheese? Add bacon. 22 of 26 Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Jennifer Causey Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Need a surefire way to get the kids to eat their veggies? Wrap them in bacon. 23 of 26 Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Skewers with Chipotle Comeback Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Skewers with Chipotle Comeback Sauce Whatever you do, don't skip the creamy, smoky comeback sauce for dipping. 24 of 26 Bacon Cheeseburger Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Bacon Cheeseburger Never underestimate the classics—these Bacon Cheeseburgers deliver every time. 25 of 26 Bacon-Infused Bourbon Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Bacon-Infused Bourbon Welcome to the Southerner's perfect cocktail: bacon-flavored bourbon. All you need is a bottle of your favorite bourbon and some warm bacon grease. 26 of 26 Classic Southern BLT Monica Farber/Southern Living Recipe: Classic Southern BLT Punch up store-bought mayonnaise with these flavor-boosting ideas: For extra tang and heat, zest a small lemon and grind lots of black pepper into the mayo. For a hint of green, chop a small handful of tender herbs—parsley, basil, tarragon, dill—and fold them into the mayo. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit