Bacon has widely become a staple in many delicious recipes. It’s no longer just considered a simple breakfast meat. From fine dining to traditional classics, you can find bacon on practically every menu. So on National Bacon Day, celebrate in the best way possible – incorporating bacon into every meal!

 

Here are five delicious recipes that you can make throughout the day – as well as inspire you for other dishes of your own. And be sure to share any fun recipes or secrets for getting that perfect crispiness to our Facebook page.

 

Breakfast

To start the day off, we’ll go with a fun twist on a traditional breakfast. The presentation makes this a perfect dish for impressing guests, but the recipe is simple enough to whip up on a whim.

Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring – Jo Cooks

Ingredients:

  • 1 can Pillsbury Crescents
  • 8 slices of bacon, cooked
  • ½ red pepper, chopped
  • ½ green pepper, chopped
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: 1 egg for egg wash

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  1. Combine eggs and chopped peppers in a medium sized mixing bowl. Wisk together and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Transfer mixture to a large skillet and cook until eggs are scrambled.
  3. Arrange the crescent dough on a piece of parchment paper in a star-like shape. The point of the roll should be facing outward and the straight edges should slightly overlap.
  4. Lay a strip of bacon on each crescent roll. Top bacon with ½ cup of cheddar cheese followed by the scrambled egg mixture. Top eggs with remaining cheese.
  5. Fold tip of crescent roll over, covering most of the eggs, and coat with egg wash if doing.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes until crescents are golden brown.

 

Snack

After that big breakfast, you’ll likely only need a small snack to tide you over before lunch. This sweet popcorn treat will do just the trick!

Maple Bacon Popcorn – Kernel Season’s

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups popped popcorn
  • 8 slices of thick cut bacon
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (for bacon)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (for bacon)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ stick of butter
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda

Instructions:

  1. Prepare popcorn as package instructs.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Place bacon in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  4. Sprinkle ¼ cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over top of bacon.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
  6. Remove bacon from oven and let cool. Once the sugar is set, cut the bacon into bite size pieces.
  7. In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
  8. Once butter is melted, add remaining brown sugar and maple syrup.
  9. Allow mixture to boil for 5 minutes, add baking soda, and stir well.
  10. Pour maple sugar mixture over popcorn and stir until evenly coated, add bacon pieces and stir until completely incorporated.

 

Lunch

Young and old, everyone loves a good BLT sandwich. This recipe is rather traditional, but feel free to add and remove ingredients to your heart’s content.

The Best BLT – Good + Simple

Ingredients:

  • Sourdough or whole grain bakery bread
  • Sliced tomato
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped
  • Butter lettuce, washed and dried
  • Bacon

Instructions:

  1. Prepare bacon until crisp, but not burnt.
  2. In a small bowl, combine chopped herbs and mayonnaise.
  3. Place slices of bread on a baking sheet and broil until bread is slightly toasted on one side.
  4. Once bread has cooled slightly, spread mayo on the untoasted side of both slices. Stack lettuce, tomato, and bacon on top and enjoy.

 

Dinner

Bacon has its place on every dish, even the fancier ones. In this pork tenderloin recipe, the bacon works to hold in the pork juices, preserving its flavor and preventing the meat from drying out.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin – Recipe Tin Eats

Ingredients:

  • 8 to 10 slices of bacon
  • 1 pound pork tenderloin, room temperature
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lay bacon across a cutting board, slightly overlapping. The width of the bacon should be long enough to wrap the length of the tenderloin.
  3. Season tenderloin with salt and pepper.
  4. Heat olive oil in an oven proof skillet over high heat.
  5. Sear tenderloin on all sides until nicely browned.
  6. Place tenderloin on bacon and roll until completely wrapped.
  7. Return bacon wrapped tenderloin to skillet and drizzle with honey (or maple syrup if using). Use a small brush to evenly coat entire tenderloin.
  8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, basting meat with pan juices once or twice.
  9. Remove from oven and baste again. Let meat rest for 5 minutes and baste one more time.

  

Dessert

Finish off your day with a sweet and unexpected bacon treat! The perfect mixture of sweet and salty make these cookies truly delectable.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies – Baking Beauty

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ sticks butter, softened
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 7 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and roughly chopped
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
  3. Stir in eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch.
  4. Gradually stir in flour, stirring until just combined.
  5. Fold in bacon and chocolate chips.
  6. 1 tablespoon at a time, roll cookie dough into small balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet, bake for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Cool on pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.