I have a confession: Growing up, I wasn’t a huge fan of bacon. I liked BLTs but otherwise — I never really craved it. Today, I feel very differently about bacon. It is yummy in my tummy and I hoard bacon fat like it’s liquid gold. It’s possible I have a problem.
Because bacon really isn’t the greatest for you (unless you’re low-carbing it), I try to assuage any guilt I have (of which I have none) by pairing it with veggies. Now it’s healthy! Right? Please don’t deny me this simple dream.
Of course, I could always use turkey bacon, but where is the fun in that? So when faced with the dilemma of trying to make bacon healthy, I add veggies. Green beans happen to pair wonderfully with bacon.
My brother wasn’t a big fan of veggies so I ate my share and his share, especially when green beans were the vegetable du jour at family dinners. They are my favorite veggie, although I’m lazy and use canned green beans for most meals. Better than just eating bacon, am I right? You bet I am!
When I’m feeling ambitious and want fancy side dishes, I roast my veggies. The other night, I decided to dress them up a bit with onion, red pepper, garlic and wait for it … bacon! This easy side dish roasts in one pan, so clean up is a breeze. And the fact that it’s delicious, makes it a keeper. It’s the bacon, I swear. 🙂
Roasted Green Beans with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh green beans ends trimmed
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 2 garlic clove finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set aside two cookie sheets.
- Spread half the green beans, onion, red pepper and bacon on each cookie sheet.
- Drizzle olive oil over green bean mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and stir together. Make sure green bean mixture is spread out evenly over cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Add minced garlic clove to each cookie sheet and stir. Bake another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Also, I shared 7 DIY Holiday Gifts Your Friends and Family Will Love at The Heavy Purse earlier this week. Lots of great low-cost, creative ideas that are certain to WOW. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tanya