Pork
Bacon Guacamole Appetizer (low-carb!)
These bacon guacamole appetizer bites are reliable for game day – plus they’re low-carb!
These bacon guacamole appetizer bites are reliable for game day or any other party – plus they’re low-carb!
At a glance
What stands out: It’s a straightforward and popular appetizer.
How long it takes: 38 minutes (includes time to bake bacon)
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, oven, small zip top bag
Servings: makes 40 appetizers
With Bowl approaching, it’s time to start planning some game day eats and snacks. Because after all, that’s what is about, right? Food and commercials. Right? Am we missing something? We don’t think so.
Oh, and bacon. And guacamole. Food, bacon, guacamole, and commercials. We think that covers it. Oh yeah, the football game.
This is a reliable Bowl snack because it’s ridiculously straightforward to mix. You don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen. As a bonus, it will make your house smell like bacon.
You won’t go wrong with bacon appetizers (unless there are vegetarians in the crowd). Try candied bacon (pig candy), bacon wrapped dates, or bacon wrapped water chestnuts. Oink, oink.
Oh yeah, and it’s a low carb app. Just ignore that huge stein of beer.
About This Straightforward Bacon Appetizer
What makes this bacon guacamole appetizer even easier is that we use already prepared guacamole. If you’d rather make your own guacamole, that’s just fine, too. We don’t have a problem with that.
Using a great tasting prepared guacamole does take the stress out of this recipe. Goodness knows, living in Michigan, when we slice open an avocado, we never know what we're going to get. There’s a 50/50 chance it is going to be nasty, brown and stringy inside. Actually more like 80/20. It’s a sad avocado situation here in Michigan.
What You’ll Need
Only three ingredients for this straightforward appetizer!
- Bacon: Use thick cut bacon so there’s a firm foundation for the appetizer. Regular cut bacon will crumble too easily.
- Guacamole: We've talked a bit about the guac already.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Top this straightforward appetizer with half of a cherry tomato. Always use a serrated knife to cut tomatoes.
How it comes together
Slice the bacon into bite-sized pieces prior to cooking to avoid cracking or crumbling (remember it will shrink slightly during cooking). We bake it so that it will remain nice and flat. If you haven’t tried baking bacon yet, you’ll be amazed how reliable it is. We also line our baking sheet with parchment paper so we don’t lose any precious bacon to a sticky situation with our baking sheet. And yes, straightforward cleanup!
Drain bacon well. After the bacon is cooked and cooled slightly, use tongs to pick the bacon pieces up and place them on a few layers of paper towels to drain, patting the tops with more paper towels to remove the excess grease.
Squeeze on the guacamole. To easily get the guacamole on the bacon pieces, spoon the guacamole from the container into a zip-top sandwich bag. Then cut a small corner off the bag and just squeeze the guac onto the bacon pieces.
Toppings: We like to vary the toppings. Our favorites are either a halved grape or cherry tomato or a small piece of a nice sharp cheddar — both rich. Other tasty toppings are a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, sliced green onions or jalapeño peppers, or pickled red onions. You could leave a few of the guacamole bites plain for traditionalists out there.
Enjoy! Happy snacking. Oh yeah, and watching football commercials.
- Yield: 20 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 28 minutes
- Total: 38 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. (16 oz.) thick sliced bacon, cut into 1 ½ to 2-inch pieces
- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) prepared guacamole (about 1 cup)
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Method
- Line a baking sheet with foil and then with parchment paper. Arrange bacon pieces in a single layer so they are not touching.
- Put bacon in cold oven and turn on to 400°F. Bake for 28 minutes total or until crispy and browned. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Pat with paper towels to remove excess grease.
- Meanwhile, put guacamole in a small zip top bag and cut off a small corner. Squeeze a small amount of guacamole on each piece of bacon and top with either a halved grape tomato or a chunk of cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition information is for bites topped with tomatoes.
Alternative toppings: cheddar cheese (2 oz.), chopped cilantro or parsley, sliced green onions, jalapeño peppers, pickled red onions.
