Many people live by the mantra that bacon makes everything better. But with 42 calories and 3 g of fat in each strip of bacon, people often cut it out of their diets to follow a more healthy lifestyle. One way to compromise on your bacon intake is to cook dishes that call for bacon as a garnish or a secondary ingredient instead of eating plates of it for breakfast. Many pasta dishes incorporate bacon, and the best way to cook it for these recipes is to pan fry it so it is crispy and easy to cut or crumble.
Step 1
Place a frying pan on a stove burner.
Step 2
Lay the strips of bacon in the pan. Avoid overlapping the pieces so they cook thoroughly evenly, but the pieces can be close together because the bacon will shrink down as it cooks. Most skillets will not hold more than a handful of strips without overlapping, so if you need to cook a lot of bacon consider doing so in batches.
Step 3
Turn the stove on medium. Watch the cooking process to help ensure it cooks evenly without burning.
Step 4
Flip the bacon with kitchen tongs once the underside starts to brown and cook.
Step 5
Continue watching the bacon cook, flipping it as necessary to make sure it browns and cooks evenly.
Step 6
Remove the bacon slices from the pan as they are ready, placing them on a plate covered with paper towels or another absorbent material. The towels will help soak up excess grease, preventing your pasta dish from being to greasy. You want to avoid excess grease in most pasta dishes because it can prevent the sauce from adhering to the noodles.
Step 7
Cut or crumble the bacon as specified in your recipe, adding it when necessary to complete the dish.
Tips and Warnings
- A half cup of crumbled bacon is equal to about eight strips of bacon. Some cooks prefer the taste and texture of bacon cooked in the oven. If you want to try this method, lay the strips of bacon in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Cook it in a 375 degree oven for between 12 and 17 minutes, checking it periodically to see if it is crisp and brown.
Things You'll Need
- Frying pan or skillet
- Kitchen tongs
- Plate
- Paper towels
- Knife, if necessary
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