Bacon-Sauteed Veggies
Easy way I get people to eat veggies. It's delicious and easy, and works for many different types of vegetables (although the amount of grease you leave in the pan should depend on how absorbent a particular veggie is). Try it with Kale, Swiss Chard, Brussel Sprouts, Fresh Spinach, Green Beans, and many more. Can be scaled, just don't overload whatever saute pan you're cooking it in.
Easy way I get people to eat veggies. It's delicious and easy, and works for many different types of vegetables (although the amount of grease you leave in the pan should depend on how absorbent a particular veggie is). Try it with Kale, Swiss Chard, Brussel Sprouts, Fresh Spinach, Green Beans, and many more. Can be scaled, just don't overload whatever saute pan you're cooking it in.
- Carbohydrate 9.7876 g
- Cholesterol 23.8 mg
- Fat 16.1332 g
- Fiber 2.84 g
- Protein 6.4243 g
- Saturated Fat 5.31713 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (106g)
- Sodium 324.92 mg
- Sugar 6.9476 g
- Trans Fat 1.84886 g
- Calories 206 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook your bacon. While this is happening, prepare whatever veggie you're going to include. Make sure you get as much water off them as possible, because putting water in hot grease = super bad news (google search it, seriously dangerous).
- Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan. Now you need to remove the right amount of bacon grease from the pan, but not all of it. If you are doing lettuces, you can leave more (probably most of it); if you are doing stiffer veggies (like green beans), you don't need much, since they won't absorb a whole lot; veggies with lots of "nooks and crannies' (like sprouts or broccoli) would need more since it will soak up a lot, but I would say less than the lettuces do.
- Once the vegetable of choice has cooked (wilted for lettuces, softened for most other veggies), crumble the bacon back into the pan and stir. Dish is complete.
Most home cooks crowd the sauté pan with wet vegetables, causing the temperature to plummet below 212 degrees Fahrenheit and triggering rapid steaming rather than searing. Moisture is the enemy of browning. Dry every vegetable thoroughly with paper towels before it touches hot fat, particularly leafy greens that trap water between folds.
Rendering pork fat yields a flavorful medium with a high smoke point around 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Dense vegetables like green beans require minimal residual grease because they lack internal porous structures to hold oil. Conversely, textured produce like Brussels sprouts demands more fat to coat its outer layers adequately without burning.
Monitor doneness visually rather than relying on a timer. Leafy greens are finished the exact moment they wilt and reduce in volume by half. Stiffer produce requires a fork test yielding slight resistance at the core, indicating tender-crisp cell walls. Salt chemistry dictates that adding sodium draws out residual moisture, so delay seasoning until the final minute of cooking to preserve crisp textures.
