Maple Bacon Carrots are quick and tasty side dish that goes amazing with any of your favorite meat dishes. The smokey bacon and maple cinnamon glaze make the naturally sweet flavor of the carrots even more awesome!
HEALTHY AND EASY COOKED CARROTS
This will take you a whopping 5 minutes, guys! Peel those carrots and slice them diagonally in ¼ inch slices.
TIP: Why cut the carrots diagonally? The tapered carrots are hard to get into even slices so that they look uniform, and more importantly, cook evenly. When they are cut diagonally, it's easier to achieve this.
Then grab a couple slices of regular cut bacon and cut it into ½ slices or chunks. If you only have thick cut, that cool too, you should probably drain off about a Tablespoon of the drippings before you throw in the carrots. Center cut will be the opposite, you may need to add a teaspoon or so of cooking fat.
QUICK TIP: I like to use kitchen shears to get the bacon cut the fastest and easiest.
SAUTÉ THE CARROTS AND BACON
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the bacon pieces. Cook them until they're crispy and pull them off with a spoon to a plate covered in a paper towel. Leave those to the side.
Add the carrots and stir to coat in the bacon drippings. Once they warm and fully coated, season with salt and cinnamon (if you like a little heat, throw in a tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper).
Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they're tender-crisp and slightly browned. Pour in the maple syrup and quickly stir to coat. Cook an additional 30-60 seconds until the syrup is a little thicker. Remove them from the heat and toss the bacon back in.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR HEALTHY SIDE DISH RECIPES:
Now to the good part, the recipe! Please pin for later and when you make it, let me know what you think. You can comment below OR find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. If you want healthy recipes sent right to your inbox, go ahead and fill out the form below for my weekly newsletter!
Now to the good part, the recipe! Please pin for later and when you make it, let me know what you think. You can comment below OR find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Quick and Easy Maple Bacon Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots (around 6 large, peeled and cut diagonally into ¼ inch slices)
- 2 slices of regular cut bacon (cut into ½" pieces)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
Instructions
- IN A SKILLET OR FRYING PAN, sauté bacon pieces over medium heat until crispy, around 2 minutes. Remove from the pan once crispy, and allow to cook on a plate covered in a paper towel.
- ADD CARROTS TO BACON DRIPPINGS and stir to coat in drippings. Sprinkle carrots with salt and cinnamon and continue to sauté over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until crisp-soft.
- ADD THE SYRUP and quickly stir to coat the carrots and cook an additional 30-60 seconds to let the syrup thicken slightly.
- REMOVE FROM HEAT and sprinkle bacon pieces on top of the carrots and serve warm.
Nutrition
**This blog post contains affiliate links to products that I actually use and that align with my values as a nutritionist. I may earn a small commission to fund my coffee drinking habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, you’ll simply keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really.
