Bacon makes everything better and a hot salad dressing made with bacon is no exception. Hot Bacon Dressing is a German classic, featured in just about every church cookbook from the 70's. While your grandmother's version probably calls for unhealthy vegetable oil, sugar and cornstarch, with a few substitutions, you have a healthy dressing. Slightly sweet and sour, this healthy salad dressing is far better than any commercially bottled dressing. It is made with healthy stable saturated fats, onions and bacon, lots of bacon. I know your mouth is watering so let's get to the recipe, healthy Hot Bacon Dressing.
Ingredients
- 6 Slices Bacon
- 1/2 c. Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 1/2 c. Coconut Vinegar
- 1/2 c. Water
- 1/4-1/3 c. High-Oleic Sunflower Oil (see notes)
- 1/8 tsp. Stevia Extract
- 1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum (optional, see notes)
- Celtic Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
Directions
- In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy.
- Remove bacon and set aside.
- Pour bacon grease into glass Pyrex measuring cup.
- Add onions to skillet along with a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease and cook on medium high heat until browned and translucent.
- To the cooked onions add the vinegar and water to deglaze the pan.
- Add enough sunflower oil to the bacon grease to equal 1/2 c. and then add the onion, vinegar, water mixture.
- Whisk in stevia.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- If you would like a thicker consistency, whisk in xanthan gum.
- Crumble bacon and add to dressing.
- Store refrigerated in glass jar or container. Reheat as necessary.
Notes
Standard sunflower oil is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, which is damaged with heat. High-oleic sunflower oil, is at least 82% oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat found in olive oil and lard, yes lard, while being extremely low in omega-6. It has no taste making it a great option for salad dressings.
Xanthan gum is a natural fiber that is corn and gluten-free. It can be used to thicken sauces and dressings. A little goes a long way.
What to do with Hot Bacon Dressing?
Healthy Hot Bacon Dressing is fabulous over steamed veggies. My favorite is a German Fauxtato Salad (pictured above) made with cauliflower instead of potatoes. Turning an otherwise high-carb starchy dish into a healthy low-carb veggie option. There's really nothing to it, clean, chop and steam up a head of cauliflower, add as much Hot Bacon Dressing as you desire and garnish with some fresh or dried chives.
You will never eat Spinach Salad any other way, once you try it with Healthy Hot Bacon Dressing. You can load up the salad any way you like and eat it as an entrée or make it a simple side salad by adding a soft-boiled egg. If you can tolerate dairy, crumbled goat cheese or even blue cheese pairs well.
Did you know?
The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers. The higher the number the greater the blood sugar response. Sugar has a GI of 65 and potato has a GI of 78. That's right potatoes raise your blood sugar higher than good ol' white sugar. Incidentally, cauliflower has a GI of 15, which makes it a perfect low-carb substitute for the potato. High blood sugar levels, over time, can lead to many healthy complications.
Saturated Fat is Healthy?
If you still think saturated fat is bad for your health, think again. Here are five fantastic articles that explain the truth about this healthy fat.
2. The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat
3. Saturated Fat: Wrongfully Accused?
4. Saturated Fat, Carbs & Cardiovascular Disease
5. A Big Fat Mistake
Holy smokes this is great! I’ve tried making my own concoction of hot bacon dressing and it was okay, but not oh-my-goodness delicious like your recipe! I’m thinking a big ol’ salad with some salmon and this dressing will hit the spot for dinner tonight. Thanks a bunch!
Right on! Thanks for the recipe makeover. My grandma used to make this and it’s exciting to have a healthier alternative to use. We used to put hot bacon dressing on spinach salad a lot. I’m wondering one thing…coconut vinegar? Why did you select coconut vinegar? For a particular health purpose or is it just a favorite?
Traditional recipes uses plain white vinegar. The raw coconut vinegar has a similar flavor but with added nutritional value.