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Steamed Broccoli and Bacon

A simple side dish that comes together in 25 minutes or less. Steamed Broccoli and Bacon is one of my favorite low carb dishes. 

broccoli and bacon in a bowl

Alright, confession time. I often get the question “Sarah, how do you eat all of these yummy treats all the time?” Well, I do and I don’t. I eat a little bit of everything, of course, to make sure it meets my expectations. 

But the rest of the time I follow a low carb diet. Today’s recipe is one that sits firmly in my weekly rotation. Low carb or not, it just tastes good! And if you ever need to find a way to get more healthy veggies into your diet, just do what I do.

Put bacon on it.

Steamed Broccoli and Bacon

broccoli and bacon in a bowl

So what I like about steaming broccoli is that it’s fast and ideal for whipping up alongside a simple weeknight dinner. No preheating the oven, no extra steps in special appliances.

Fry the bacon, use the grease to brown the broccoli a little, then put a lid on top to lock in that moisture and steam the broccoli to soft or tender-crisp broccoli bacon goodness.

No, I don’t use a steamer basket like traditionally steamed broccoli. Cooking it in the bacon grease helps absorb the flavor and you get some really nice Maillard reaction action (browned bits on the broccoli). 

Some tips for success

Keep all of your florets roughly the same size. They will steam evenly so you wont have random under and overcooked bites. 

How do you like your broccoli? The longer you cook it, the softer it gets. So bear that in mind when cooking this dish. You can get yummy tender-crisp broccoli in less than 5 minutes. Add a few more minutes to get softer fork tender broccoli. 

Add salt and pepper to taste and you’re set. Like I said, this is a simple recipe with lots of flavor. It’s my favorite weeknight side dish. Enjoy!

Until next time. X

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broccoli and bacon in a bowl

Steamed Broccoli and Bacon

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A simple side dish that comes together in 25 minutes or less. Steamed Broccoli and Bacon is one of my favorite low carb dishes.

  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 slices of bacon, chopped coarsely
  • 2 broccoli crowns, cut into same size florets
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan set to medium heat, place the chopped bacon.
  2. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring periodically for even cooking.
  3. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon when it gets to your level of doneness. Leave the grease in the pan.
  4. Add the broccoli and stir to coat each floret.
  5. Let sit and cook for 3-5 minutes to give the broccoli some color, then cover with a lid.
  6. Steam for another 5 minutes to get tender-crisp broccoli or 8-10 minutes for soft broccoli.
  7. Stir in the bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Tools

  • medium saucepan with lid
  • slotted spoon

I personally think this recipe is awesome, but I’ve added 2 cloves of garlic and 1 Tbsp of butter before with good results.

Pro-tip: if you’re out of bacon, use any bacon grease you’ve been storing. Two heaping spoonfuls work well in this recipe.

  • Author: Sarah | AwayFromTheBox
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stove
  • Cuisine: American

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