With football season and the holidays just around the bend, I find myself scrambling for quick, easy and crowd-pleasing snacks and nibbles.
So of course I turn to bacon.
It never fails—no matter what is on the buffet, coffee table or passed tray—nothing disappears faster than bacon-wrapped anything.
And one of my favorite ways to serve up bacon hors d'oeuvres is to wrap it around vegetables. The fat and flavor of the bacon seep into the veggies and infuse them with the most smoky, delicious taste.
Even better? You can wrap the veggies in advance and keep them in the fridge until ready to serve. All you need to do is pop them in the oven and then pop them on a serving tray.
Of course you don't need anything more than the bacon to create a wow-worthy snack, but with just one or two additional ingredients you can easily take those veggies to next-level deliciousness.
I've got three great variations for you—all quick and easy to prepare, and all guaranteed to make you the hostess with the mostess. And feel free to switch up the fillings and spices to suit your tastes.
It's bacon, after all. You can't lose!
Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts with Fig Jam
Yields: approximately 24 appetizers (you can adjust the quantity up or down; you'll need an equal number of brussels sprouts as bacon slices, and about ½ teaspoon of jam for each)
Ingredients:
- 8 – 9 ounces brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, trimmed and halved lengthwise
- ¼ cup fig jam
- 11 – 12 slices of bacon, cut in half crosswise
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 375; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread ½ teaspoon of jam onto the cut side of each brussels sprout. Wrap with bacon and place—cut side down—on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bacon is cooked through and crispy. Let cool briefly and serve.
Recipe: Chili-Maple Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potatoes
Yields: approximately 16 appetizers (you can adjust the quantity up or down; you'll need half the number of bacon slices as potato wedges)
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into 16 wedges
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- salt and pepper
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400; place a wire cooling rack atop a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Toss sweet potato wedges in a bowl with olive oil, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.
- Working with one strip of bacon at a time, dip into the maple syrup, allowing the excess to drip off. Wrap the bacon around a sweet potato wedge and place on the wire rack. Repeat with remaining bacon slices and potato wedges.
- Bake until bacon is cooked through and crispy, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool briefly and serve.
Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Herbed Cheese
Yields: approximately 24 appetizers (you can adjust the quantity up or down; you'll need half the number of bacon slices as asparagus spears)
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces asparagus (about 24 spears), trimmed
- 12 slices thick-cut bacon
- about ½ cup herbed, creamy cheese (such as Boursin)
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400; place wire cooling racks atop two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Spread two teaspoons of cheese on each strip of bacon; cut the bacon in half lengthwise.
- Wrap one piece of bacon around an asparagus spear and place on the wire rack. Repeat with remaining bacon slices and asparagus.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until bacon is cooked through and crispy. Let cool briefly and serve.
Images via Sheri Silver
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