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  1. Midwest Living
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  4. Our Best Smoky, Sizzling Bacon Recipes

Our Best Smoky, Sizzling Bacon Recipes

By Midwest Living editors Updated December 26, 2022
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Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
Credit: Carson Downing

Savor the enticing scent and flavor of bacon in soups, salads, sandwiches and more.

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Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin

Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
Credit: Carson Downing
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Chef Kieron Hales of Cornman Farms in southeast Michigan makes a perfectly pink beef tenderloin that hearkens to his mum's Sunday roasts. Keep in mind, the bacon under the roast won't get crisp, but it will cook through and flavor both the beef and the sauce.

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BLT Salad

BLT Salad
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Turn a classic BLT into a main dish salad. The favorite combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato are added to a mix of vegetables and toasted bread to make a delightful meal. Creamy mustard dressing makes the perfect topping.

Related: How to Cook Bacon Like a Pro

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Radish, Green Beans and Bacon Saute

Radish, Greens and Bacon Saute
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This simple side dish is a great recipe for spring and fall, when you can buy local radishes with gorgeous fresh greens attached (or pick your own!).

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Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
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Orange juice concentrate brings out the sweet flavor while crumbled bacon adds a warm smokiness to this sweet potato side dish made in the slow cooker. Try with roasted pork loin or turkey breast.

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Long-Cooked Collards with Apples and Bacon

Long-Cooked Collards with Apples and Bacon
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This side dish is an autumn favorite at Iowa's Rapid Creek Cidery—and a great way to explore nutritious collard greens. The recipe takes a while, but most of the cooking is hands-free, leaving plenty of time to prepare pork chops or chicken.

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Green Beans with Bacon and Onion

Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
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Picky eaters in your family? Bacon-dressed beans will surely tempt them to eat their veggies.

Related: Fresh Green Bean Recipes

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Peach and Bacon Avocado Toast

Peach and Bacon Avocado Toast
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You say tomato, we say peach—at least, we do for this fantastic BLT-avocado toast hybrid. Eat it for breakfast, brunch or dinner!

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Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites
Credit: Blaine Moats
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These sweet and salty caramelized bites are so good, you may not even want to dip them. But be sure you do for a tangy, creamy finish.

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Bacon and Baked Potato Soup

Bacon and Baked Potato Soup
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Bacon is versatile and dependable, amping up most dishes. Our cheesy potato soup, for instance, just seems to call for salty-smoky crumbled bacon. So we stirred some in and sprinkled the rest on top.

Related: Family-Favorite Soups and Stews

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Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Balls

Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Balls
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Freshly shredded cheese works better than packaged shredded cheese in a cheese ball. Prepare the cheese mixture the night before so flavors have a chance to blend. Shape and roll in the crumbled bacon or pistachio nuts a few hours before serving.

Related: Easy Appetizer Recipes

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Starker's Bacon and Cheese-Curd Burger

Starker's Bacon and Cheese Curd Burger
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You can find the bacon and cheese inside these hamburgers instead of on top. Adults and kids love these flavorful burgers. Serve them at your next outdoor gathering. 

Related: Take Your Burger to the Next Level

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Bacon-Rutabaga Bisque

Bacon-Rutabaga Bisque
Credit: Blaine Moats
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This twist on your classic potato soup uses rutabaga, a humble root veggie that has a deliciously sweet-nutty flavor.

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Sassy Baked Beans

Sassy Baked Beans
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Mix and match different kinds of beans and meat to suit your preferences. Our smoky-sweet baked beans will beat canned beans every time, especially at a potluck!

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Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta

Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta
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Give Brussels sprouts a fresh taste with this colorful side dish flavored with bacon and feta. The trick to preserving the sprouts' mild taste is to avoid overcooking. 

Related: Fresh Brussels Sprouts Recipes

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Birchwood BLT

Birchwood BLT
Credit: Carson Downing
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Minneapolis chef Tracy Singleton combines summer's greatest hits—heirloom tomatoes, basil and sweet corn—in what she calls "a kitchen sink sandwich."

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Meat and Potato Pizza

Meat and Potato Pizza
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This pizza is topped with a totally mouth-watering combo of bacon, thin-sliced potatoes, sausage and a delectable garlic-rosemary butter. The recipe comes from Hidemi Walsh of Plainfield, Indiana.

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Bacon, Ham and Egg Hash

Bacon, Ham and Egg Hash
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This hearty breakfast recipe comes from Niman Ranch, which turns to Iowa for much of its pork. 

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Bacon-Pear Macaroni and Cheese

Bacon-Pear Macaroni and Cheese
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Crispy bacon, extra-creamy cheese sauce and pears sauteed in brown sugar and butter all come together for a decadent and delicious macaroni and cheese.

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Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms

Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms
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This five-ingredient appetizer recipe comes from the bacon pros at Nueske's meats in Wisconsin.

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Cajun Sweet Corn and Bacon Jumble

Cajun Sweet Corn and Bacon Jumble
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Salty bacon and Cajun seasoning liven up this veggie mixture for a hearty side.

Related: Best Roasted Vegetable Recipes

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Chicken, Bacon and Cheddar Submarines

Chicken, Bacon, and Cheddar Submarines
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This crowd-pleasing party sandwich works on your schedule. You can prepare and bake it all at once for a party, or assemble the sandwiches the night before, and then bake them when your family or guests are ready to eat. 

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Easy bacon sandwiches

Bacon sandwiches

Clockwise, from top left:

On a flour tortilla, combine scrambled eggs, pico de gallo or salsa, pepper Jack cheese and chopped bacon. Serve it rolled up or open face.

Rye bread gets topped with Dijon-style mustard, bacon slices, Granny Smith apple slices and Brie.

On sliced wheat bread, layer Canadian bacon, coleslaw, pickles and barbecue sauce.

Top a toasted English muffin with peanut butter, bacon, banana slices and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Party pumpernickel bread gets a topping of sliced pear (brushed with lemon juice), blue cheese crumbles, bacon and honey.

Toasted white bread meets sliced roasted turkey, bacon strips, avocado and fresh ground pepper.

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    1 of 22 Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin
    2 of 22 BLT Salad
    3 of 22 Radish, Green Beans and Bacon Saute
    4 of 22 Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
    5 of 22 Long-Cooked Collards with Apples and Bacon
    6 of 22 Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
    7 of 22 Peach and Bacon Avocado Toast
    8 of 22 Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites
    9 of 22 Bacon and Baked Potato Soup
    10 of 22 Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Balls
    11 of 22 Starker's Bacon and Cheese-Curd Burger
    12 of 22 Bacon-Rutabaga Bisque
    13 of 22 Sassy Baked Beans
    14 of 22 Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta
    15 of 22 Birchwood BLT
    16 of 22 Meat and Potato Pizza
    17 of 22 Bacon, Ham and Egg Hash
    18 of 22 Bacon-Pear Macaroni and Cheese
    19 of 22 Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms
    20 of 22 Cajun Sweet Corn and Bacon Jumble
    21 of 22 Chicken, Bacon and Cheddar Submarines
    22 of 22 Easy bacon sandwiches

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