Crunchy Broccoli Salad (or reason #96 to keep ready-made bacon on hand)

I normally prefer uncured, nitrite-free bacon (or pancetta) for me and my family, but I cannot deny the appeal of ready-cooked bacon. It's convenient, cooks up in seconds in the micro, and doesn't get your kitchen all greazy.  Bacon can be such a production to cook, and frankly, I don't like the clean-up.

Costco carries the thick-cut, ready-cooked style I prefer, and I keep the pack in my freezer and take out slices as needed.  I use it for:

• quick BLT's with avocado
• topping burgers
• Cobb salads
• warm spinach or Brussels sprouts salads
• crumbling over deviled eggs
• crumbling into potato salad
• crumbling into pancake/waffle batter
• oh! and for breakfast, alongside eggs or in egg sandwiches

One of the best uses for ready-made bacon is the broccoli salad below. I made it for two BBQs this weekend, and it was a hit both times. I'm sharing the recipe from the Essential Mormon cookbook in the hopes that you will try it and then order the book. It's a fun cookbook of tasty, simple, and satisfying dishes and is a delightful read as well.

BROCCOLI SALAD

You've probably had this, but not as good.

2 bunches broccoli (about 1 pound) cut into small florets
1 medium purple onion, finely chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used Irish white cheddar)
6 strips of cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or raisins (I used the seeds)
1 recipe Broccoli Salad dressing (1 cup mayo, 2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt [I used less sugar and added pepper])

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Serve immediately or later that day. (Keeps for about a day.)

To order the cookbook, click the icon below.

 

Comments

[porter]

This is a recipe my MIL gave me 11 years ago (before she was my MIL) and it is one of my top 5 most requested recipes...and what I'm always asked to bring to BBQ's!
I'd love to learn your brussel sprout salad recipe....

[magpie]

Sounds great! My husband is the type that can't cook less than a whole pound of bacon. Needless to say, a pound is too much for the three of us, so there are always a few strips leftover. I tuck them in a ziploc and toss them in the freezer...so I don't have to buy ready cooked bacon.

[Kalyn]

Hey, too funny. Of course I've had this salad. It's a common thing to have at parties here in Salt Lake. I agree, the thick pre-cooked bacon from Costco is perfect. I keep mine in the freezer too! I don't eat a lot of bacon, but when I do want a couple of slices for something, I just zap them for a minute or so and I'm set!

[Alanna]

This is a "Minnesota church potluck" standard, too, with raisins. As you might imagine, it's also packed with calories - comparing this version to the one I posted two years ago, I'm betting that since yours has more 2X cheese, 2Xmayo and 4X the sugar, it's at least six Weight Watchers points, nearly 250 calories. I love the idea of the thick bacon pre-cooked, which I haven't seen before but will watch for.

[Penandra]

I make my own "ready made bacon" and keep it in the freezer rather than buying the already cooked stuff . . . more economical and I get to pick the kind of bacon I prefer!

This is the information on how I baked a package of bacon to make my own "Ready Cooked Bacon"

Preheat oven to 400F
Use a cookie sheet with sides, line it with foil.
Place a cooking rack (or all metal cooling rack) over the foil lined cookie sheet.
Lay out the bacon in a single layer.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (checking at about 15 minutes)
I turned on my vent fan.
Carefully remove the cookie sheet (being careful, the bacon grease is very hot)

I found that I could reuse the same foil lined cookie sheet only twice before I was concerned about the amount of hot bacon grease in the pan. Then I stuck the cookie sheet in the fridge for about an hour to solidify the grease, removed the foil and folded it up into a grocery sack . . . stuck that back in the fridge and did a couple more batches of bacon. When I have finished cooking all of the bacon, I also then have all of the bacon grease solidified and can just take it to the trash.

I cooked the entire package of bacon.

Then lined an appropriately sized (freezer proof) plastic container with plastic wrap.
Placed one layer of cooked bacon on the plastic wrap, folded the plastic wrap over and placed a second layer of cooked bacon, then folded the plastic wrap over . . . until all of the cooked bacon was layered between the plastic wrap.
Place in the freezer (with a label with the date)

When I want bacon, I take the number of pieces out of the container layer them between one layer of paper towels, and zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds . . . 30 seconds for bacon instead of standing over the stove and getting grease spatters all over! What a deal.

BTW, if you are going to use the bacon in a salad (BLT, spinach, etc.) or omlet or somewhere that you need crumbled bacon rather than strips --- break the bacon up BEFORE zapping it in the microwave rather than trying to break it up when the bacon is hot.

A friend of mine says that she does hers on her George Foreman Grill and has had excellent results . . .