A lot of recipes list bacon as a topping. These twenty-five use it as an ingredient: the fat renders into the dish, the salt does the seasoning, and taking it out would leave you with something else entirely. Ten ounces of bacon in a frittata, twelve ounces in a crack chicken, six slices rendered down as the base of a chowder.

Grouped by meal: breakfast first, then sandwiches and burgers, party food, vegetable sides, chicken dinners, soups, and casseroles. Every entry lists the real total time, the servings and the ingredient count, plus how much bacon the recipe actually calls for.

Bacon for Breakfast

Four breakfasts where bacon is cooked into the dish rather than served alongside it.

Bacon Spinach Frittata with Mozzarella

Ten eggs with a full ten ounces of bacon, four cups of baby spinach and a cup and a half of mozzarella. Thirty minutes, serves six, and the rendered bacon fat is what cooks the spinach. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 6 servings · 10 ingredients

Bacon Gruyere Egg Bites

Six eggs blended with a cup of cottage cheese, a cup of Gruyere and six slices of bacon, steamed in a water bath so they come out silky rather than rubbery. Makes six. View the full recipe — 45 minutes · 6 servings · 10 ingredients

Bacon Stuffed French Toast

Six slices of thick cut bacon and four ounces of cream cheese sandwiched inside brioche, with a maple syrup finished with two tablespoons of bourbon. Twelve ingredients. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 4 servings · 12 ingredients

Bacon Gruyere Quiche Lorraine

A from-scratch butter crust with four eggs, a cup of heavy cream, a cup of cooked bacon and a cup of Gruyere, with a pinch of nutmeg. The real thing, and it takes an hour forty-five. View the full recipe — 1 hour 45 minutes · 6 servings · 10 ingredients

Sandwiches, Burgers and Pizza

Four built on bacon. Two are done in under half an hour.

BBQ Bacon Ranch BLT Sandwich

Six ingredients: six slices of thick cut bacon, bread, two tablespoons of barbecue sauce, two of ranch, lettuce and a tomato. Twenty minutes for two. View the full recipe — 20 minutes · 2 servings · 6 ingredients

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese with Monterey Jack

Six ingredients again: a ripe avocado mashed with lime, four bacon slices and four slices of Monterey Jack, griddled in butter. Twenty-eight minutes. View the full recipe — 28 minutes · 2 servings · 6 ingredients

Loaded Ranch Bacon Cheeseburgers

A pound and a half of 80/20 beef with eight strips of thick cut bacon, sharp cheddar and a ranch dressing seasoned with dried dill and fresh chives, on buttered brioche buns. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza on Fathead Crust

A low-carb crust made from mozzarella, cream cheese and three quarters of a cup of almond flour, topped with ground beef, mushrooms, four bacon slices, cheddar, dill pickles and shredded lettuce. View the full recipe — 55 minutes · 6 servings · 14 ingredients

Party Food

Four for a crowd, and the first one is ten minutes of work.

Bacon Stuffed Tortilla Chips

Six ingredients and ten minutes: eight ounces of cream cheese mixed with half a cup of cooked bacon, green onions, cheddar and a tablespoon of ranch, piped onto nacho cheese chips. Serves ten. View the full recipe — 10 minutes · 10 servings · 6 ingredients

Bacon Cheeseburger Mozzarella Stick Bombs

Eight mozzarella string cheese sticks wrapped with eight ounces of cooked ground beef and four strips of bacon, seasoned with garlic and onion powder and paprika. Makes sixteen. View the full recipe — 20 minutes · 16 servings · 7 ingredients

Loaded Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Cheddar

Seven ingredients: six eggs with sour cream rather than mayonnaise, three strips of bacon, chives and shredded cheddar. Thirty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 6 servings · 7 ingredients

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Nachos

Twelve ounces of chips under a pound of ground beef, six bacon slices and two cups of cheese, with BBQ sauce, ketchup and mustard, then dill pickles, red onion, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Fourteen ingredients. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 6 servings · 14 ingredients

Bacon With Vegetables

Four sides where the bacon fat is the cooking medium. Three of the four are brussels sprouts or green beans, which is no accident; both are improved by it.

Brussels Sprouts Carbonara with Bacon and Parmesan

Five ounces of bacon rendered, then a pound and a half of brussels sprouts finished in broth, a cup of heavy cream, parmesan and mozzarella. Eight ingredients, thirty minutes, and it eats like a pasta dish without the pasta. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Honey Glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

A pound of sprouts with six slices of thick cut bacon, a tablespoon of honey and a glaze of maple syrup, Dijon, balsamic and red pepper flakes. Sweet, sharp and salty all at once. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Candied Bacon Green Beans

A pound of green beans with six ounces of thick sliced bacon, half a cup of brown sugar and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Eight ingredients and the brown sugar caramelizes onto the bacon. View the full recipe — 40 minutes · 6 servings · 8 ingredients

Honey Bacon Roasted Potatoes

Two pounds of baby potatoes roasted with six slices of bacon, two tablespoons of honey, smoked paprika, thyme and a quarter cup of parmesan. Eleven ingredients, serves six. View the full recipe — 55 minutes · 6 servings · 11 ingredients

Bacon Chicken Dinners

Three dinners. The crack chicken uses a full twelve ounces of bacon and serves twelve.

Honey Garlic Bacon Chicken

Twenty-four ounces of chicken breast dredged in flour and seared, with six slices of thick cut bacon, six cloves of garlic and a sauce of a third of a cup of honey, soy sauce, cider vinegar and Dijon. Thirty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 4 servings · 12 ingredients

Crack Chicken Bacon Cheddar Sandwiches

A pound of cream cheese with ranch mix, three cups of shredded chicken, twelve ounces of bacon and two and a quarter cups of cheddar, served on twelve buttered sandwich rolls. Serves twelve and it is as rich as it sounds. View the full recipe — 45 minutes · 12 servings · 12 ingredients

Bacon Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Tortilla Chip Crust

Six ingredients: four chicken breasts stuffed with chive and onion cream cheese, mozzarella and bacon crumbles, baked in condensed cream of chicken soup and topped with crushed nacho chips. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 4 servings · 6 ingredients

Soups and Chowders

Three soups that start the same way: render the bacon, cook the onion in the fat, build from there.

Brussels Sprout Soup with Bacon

Nine ingredients and thirty-five minutes: four bacon slices, onion, garlic and four cups of brussels sprouts in four cups of chicken broth. The lightest soup in this group, with no cream at all. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 4 servings · 9 ingredients

Creamy Corn Chowder with Bacon

Bowl of creamy corn chowder topped with crispy bacon and herbs

Four slices of bacon with celery, onion, a flour roux, four cups of broth, four cups of corn, a pound of Yukon Golds and a cup of heavy cream, seasoned with thyme and smoked paprika. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 6 servings · 13 ingredients

Loaded Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheddar

Six slices of bacon under four cups of russet potatoes and four cups of broth, finished with a cup of heavy cream, half a cup of sour cream and a cup and a half of sharp cheddar. Thirteen ingredients. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 6 servings · 13 ingredients

Casseroles and Skillets

Three bakes. One is low carb, one is pasta, one is the green bean casserole with bacon in it.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet

A pound of ground beef with two cups of cooked pasta, half a cup of bacon and a quick cheese sauce from flour, milk and cheddar, with ketchup and Worcestershire. Ten ingredients, thirty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

A pound of ground beef with six slices of bacon, a cup of chopped cauliflower standing in for the starch, bell pepper, onion and a cup and a half of cheddar in total. Eleven ingredients. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 6 servings · 11 ingredients

Cheesy Bacon Green Bean Casserole with Cream Cheese

A pound of fresh green beans rather than canned, with six slices of bacon, eight ounces of cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar and parmesan, under a cup of crispy fried onions. Serves eight. View the full recipe — 55 minutes · 8 servings · 13 ingredients

Bacon Questions, Answered

Thick cut or regular bacon?

Thick cut where the bacon stays in strips and you want it to hold up, which is why the BLT, the burgers, the french toast and the brussels sprouts all specify it. Regular is better where it gets chopped into a dish, since it renders faster and crisps more evenly.

Should I save the bacon fat?

For these recipes, yes, most of it is used. The frittata cooks the spinach in it, all three soups build on it, and the roasted potatoes toss in it. Pour off the excess into a jar and keep it in the fridge for a month.

What is the fastest recipe here?

Bacon Stuffed Tortilla Chips at ten minutes, though you need already-cooked bacon. The fastest cook-from-scratch dishes are the BLT and the mozzarella bombs at twenty minutes.

How do I cook a pound of bacon without standing over the pan?

Lay it on a rimmed sheet pan in a single layer and bake at 400 degrees F for fifteen to twenty minutes. It renders evenly, there is no splatter, and the fat collects in the pan ready to pour off. This is how to prep the bacon for the recipes that call for it already cooked.

Which of these feed a crowd?

Bacon Cheeseburger Mozzarella Bombs makes sixteen, Crack Chicken Bacon Cheddar serves twelve, Bacon Stuffed Tortilla Chips serves ten, and the green bean casserole serves eight.

Can I make any of these ahead?

The quiche and both casseroles reheat well. The egg bites keep five days in the fridge and reheat in a minute. The soups are better the next day. Anything with fresh lettuce or tomato on it, the BLT, the burgers and the nachos, has to be assembled right before eating.

Which recipe uses the most bacon?

Crack Chicken Bacon Cheddar at twelve ounces, then the bacon spinach frittata at ten ounces. At the other end, the deviled eggs use three strips and the pizza uses four.