43 bacon dripping recipes

Fresh tomato, bacon, and onion fettuccine tossed with crumbled bacon cooked in its own drippings, chopped tomato, and basil. Five ingredients, dinner for two.

Iowa corn casserole with cream-style corn, crispy bacon, green pepper, and bread crumbs toasted in bacon drippings. A Midwestern side dish with smoky, crunchy depth.

Hungarian-style peasant potato soup built on a paprika-tinted blond roux with cubed potatoes, carrots, tomato, and green pepper. Simple pantry ingredients, deep flavor.

Louisiana shrimp gumbo with a dark bacon-dripping roux, smothered okra, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Served over rice with cayenne heat and bay leaf depth.

Southern-style okra stewed with Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, bacon drippings, bell pepper, celery, and chili powder. A smoky, spicy side dish that freezes well.

Cast iron green chile cornbread loaded with roasted chilies, corn kernels, pimiento, and layers of melted cheddar. Southwestern comfort baked in bacon drippings.

Peggy's corn chowder builds a roux right in bacon drippings, then layers in milk, creamed corn, and potatoes for a thick, smoky weeknight bowl. Add clams for a coastal twist.

Chicken and beef burgoo, the hearty Kentucky stew that simmers two meats with corn, lima beans, potatoes, okra, and tomatoes, thickened with a bacon-drippings roux. A big-batch Southern crowd-pleaser.

Roundup stew, a cowboy-style beef stew built in a Dutch oven with thumb-sized beef cubes, potatoes, carrots, and onions browned in bacon drippings. Old-time chuck wagon comfort in a pot.

Roast chicken stuffed with red onion, lemon, garlic, and thyme, draped in bacon for self-basting, then finished over a sea of cremini mushrooms that soak up the drippings. A Sunday-dinner bird that carves like a dream.

A two-meat chili with cubed pork and beef, pinto beans, green chiles, jalapenos, cumin, and red wine. Simmered low and slow in a Dutch oven, thickened with tortilla flour for serious body.