I try to cook healthy but sometimes, well, let’s just say these appetizers aren’t the healthiest foods I’ve ever made but boy are they good! And the way I look at it, an occasional “splurge” not only tastes good, but satisfies my craving for something decadent. What I like about these appetizers is that once you prep them, they cook in the oven for about 30 minutes and voila, you have a tray-full of treats without a lot of work.
I decided to try 7 different foods……broccoli, green olives, pears, zucchini, mushrooms, red bell pepper and Brussel sprouts.
Pears wrapped in bacon…satisfies my craving for salty and sweet. *Make sure the pears are ripe.
Bacon wrapped mushrooms….these were one of our favorites.
Even though my husband doesn’t like bell peppers that much, he did enjoy these red bell peppers wrapped in bacon.
Now I really thought this might be my favorite when I was thinking of foods to try. I love Brussel sprouts, frequently roast them but I also saute them and have added bacon….so I SHOULD have been crazy about these. But, something didn’t quite work for my taste buds. The Brussel sprouts were a bit mushy when cooked for 25 minutes so perhaps if I had taken them out a little sooner, they would have been better? But they were still “ok”.
These olives were really tasty but for me, a bit salty. I’m going to try olives stuffed with blue cheese or almonds next time but rinse the olives off before wrapping them in bacon. The flavors were great though.
The zucchini wrapped in bacon was delicious! Paul and I really liked these.
This was our favorite of everything we tried. The broccoli was easy to wrap, the texture and taste of the broccoli was delicious and I will make these for our next get-together at the house.
Here’s how to make a bacon-wrapped snack:
- Wrap a slice of bacon (not thick-cut) around the food in a single layer. For smaller bites, cut the bacon in half or even thirds.
- Secure with a toothpick if needed. (I had to use a toothpick for the olives and mushrooms.)
- Arrange on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees, turning once, until the bacon is golden brown and slightly crisp, 25 to 35 minutes.
The prep time wasn’t that long and I cooked all the different items at one time, on the same sheet. The bacon gives everything a very rich flavor so you don’t even need a sauce.
Other items you can wrap in bacon and cook the same way are; asparagus bundles, green bean bundles, shrimp, scallops, cauliflower, water chestnuts, pineapple chunks, endive, dried apricots and dates.
Tammy’s Tip ‘O the Day
You want to make sure your baking sheet has a raised edge. I used a new cookie sheet that’s completely flat (don’t know what I was thinking!) and the bacon grease dripped on the bottom of my oven and all over the counter and floor when I pulled the pan out.