Keto

November 4, 2021 Dairy-Free

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast

A bacon wrapped turkey breast is a simple but mind-blowingly delicious entrée that’ll enhance any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or weeknight dinner. Tender boneless turkey breast is smothered in a garlic-and-herb butter sauce, then wrapped up tight in strips of savory bacon and baked until golden and juicy. Naturally low carb and keto, and super easy to make dairy free and paleo, too!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

The garlic-herb butter sauce sandwiched between the turkey and the bacon keeps the turkey delectably juicy while adding an incredible level of flavor to the entire dish. For a different flavor, submerge the turkey breast overnight in this easy turkey brine and skip the butter sauce here.
Bacon wrapped turkey breast pairs beautifully with a variety of side dishes. Southern Smothered Potatoes, Italian Green Beans, Sweet Potato Pudding, Broccoli Cornbread – the possibilities are endless!
Don’t feel like you have to save this main for a holiday dinner. Bacon wrapped turkey breast is perfect any time of year, and it’s so easy to make that you don’t have to feel like it’s a special-occasion recipe.

Key Ingredients

Boneless Turkey Breast – Fresh or frozen turkey breast will work here! If you’re using frozen, just be sure to thaw it completely first. If you’re using a turkey breast larger than 3 pounds, you’ll likely need to increase the cook time and the amount of bacon you use. Oh, AND! Some turkey breasts will have a netting around them. If yours does, be sure to remove that netting before you get started!

Bacon – Any type of bacon will work here, even turkey bacon! For a nicer presentation, try basket-weaving the bacon strips together around the turkey.

Chef’s Tips

This would be a great option to serve alongside (or in place of) a whole turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner if you’re feeding a large group or just want to mix things up a little. If you’re not sure how much turkey you’ll need to feed your guests, use the super easy formula in this post: How Much Turkey Per Person?
If you have trouble tucking the bacon strips under the turkey breast enough to hold them in place, use toothpicks to pin them down! After baking, you can remove the toothpicks to serve and the cooked bacon will hold its shape.
Don’t skip the wire rack! It’s super important. The rack elevates the turkey breast so the grease from the bacon will drip off and away. If you don’t use the rack, the turkey and bacon will just sit in the grease, and the bacon won’t get crispy all the way around.

Slices of Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast on a plate with green beans and a fork

Other Turkey Recipes to Make Your Mouth Water

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Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast

A bacon wrapped turkey breast is a simple but mind-blowingly delicious entrée that'll enhance any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or weeknight dinner. Tender boneless turkey breast is smothered in a garlic-and-herb butter sauce, then wrapped up tight in strips of savory bacon and baked until golden and juicy. Naturally low carb and keto, and super easy to make dairy free and paleo, too!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: christmas dinner, holiday dinner, thanksgiving dinner

Servings:

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Oven
Small bowl
Baking sheet
Wire baking rack
Internal meat thermometer

Ingredients

3 tablespoons salted butter melted
2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
1 sage leaf chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 3-pound boneless turkey breast
8-10 slices bacon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. In small bowl, mix together butter, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, and garlic.
Place wire baking rack on baking sheet and set turkey breast on rack. Liberally coat turkey breast in butter-herb mixture, being sure to apply mixture evenly.
One by one, wrap strips of bacon around turkey breast and tuck ends of bacon under turkey to stay in place. Start by placing 2-4 slices of bacon horizontally across turkey breast to cover ends of turkey, then lay remaining slices of bacon vertically across turkey breast to cover sides.
Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake 2 hours or until turkey reaches internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit. Once temperature is reached, remove turkey from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

If your turkey breast has a netting around it, be sure to remove that before you get started!
Don’t skip the wire rack! It’s super important. The rack elevates the turkey breast so the grease from the bacon will drip off and away. If you don’t use the rack, the turkey and bacon will just sit in the grease, and the bacon won’t get crispy all the way around.
Make it Dairy Free: Use dairy-free butter.
Make it Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter, and use a paleo-friendly bacon without sugar or other non-compliant additives.

Recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 6. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

October 21, 2021 Dairy-Free

Instant Pot Turkey Stock

This Instant Pot turkey stock is the perfect use for that leftover turkey carcass! It’s rich and deeply flavorful, packed with nutrients, and takes a fraction of the time to make as regular stock.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It’s extra healthy and nutritious! The vitamins and minerals from both the turkey bones and the vegetables are released into the stock while it cooks. Once strained, the stock holds onto all of those good-for-you nutrients.
It’s quick and easy to make! Traditional stock can take hours to cook, though this Instant Pot method takes just 45 minutes. Simply add all ingredients to the Instant Pot, set it to pressure cook, and then return to delicious homemade turkey stock every time.
It’s the perfect use for any leftover turkey bones you might have lying around after Thanksgiving dinner! Reduce your waste and use every single part of the turkey this holiday season.

Key Ingredients

Turkey Carcass or Turkey Wings – If you don’t have a leftover turkey carcass for this recipe, you can easily use three pounds of turkey wings in its place. I’ve tried this method with both variations, and they’re equally as delicious! So the next time you have turkey or even chicken bones lying around, don’t forget to save them for this recipe.

Onion – My favorite part about this recipe is how hands off it is. This even goes for preparing the vegetables, especially the onion. No need to finely chop or even peel an onion for this recipe! Simply leave the skin on and cut it into four equal pieces. Once cut, throw it in the Instant Pot with the remaining ingredients – it’s that easy!

Chef’s Tips

Allow the stock to cool completely before transferring it to the fridge. The stock will be super hot right after cooking, it might even continue to boil for a few minutes after the lid is removed. Therefore, to help speed up the cooling process, strain the turkey stock and transfer it to a large bowl on the counter to bring down the temperature.
Store this Instant Pot turkey stock in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week! Though if you won’t be using this stock within a week, you can easily freeze it instead. To freeze it, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in your freezer for up to three months.
Feel free to switch up the seasonings in this recipe any way you’d like! Add more spice with additional peppercorns or even red pepper flakes. You can even add some fresh herbs, such as parsley.

overhead image of instant pot turkey stock with fresh herbs on the side

More Easy Instant Pot Recipes

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Instant Pot Turkey Stock

This Instant Pot turkey stock is the perfect use for that leftover turkey carcass! It's rich and deeply flavorful, packed with nutrients, and takes a fraction of the time to make as regular stock.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: leftover turkey, super easy, thanksgiving

Servings:

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 turkey carcass or 3 pounds turkey wings
1 stalk celery sliced in half
1 large carrot cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1 onion unpeeled and cut into quarter
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Instructions

Add all ingredients to an Instant Pot, then fill with water to the max fill line.
Set to manual high pressure for 45 minutes, then manually release pressure before removing lid.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Let cool before transferring to airtight containers to store.

Notes

I used a 6 quart Instant Pot and produced about 2 quarts of turkey stock.

Recipe yields approximately 10 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

October 14, 2021 Appetizer

Puking Pumpkin with Guacamole “Vomit”

Take your Halloween festivities to the next level with a delightfully disgusting puking pumpkin! This is a great centerpiece for your Halloween snack table, not to mention a fun way to serve a guacamole appetizer.

Close-up of a puking pumpkin with guacamole and tortilla chips

What’s So Great About This Recipe

It’s super fun, and a little gross – both perfect for Halloween! This is one that adults and kids alike will LOVE. Plus it’s a fun Halloween activity you can do with your kids (though you might want to handle the actual carving).
You can make a puking pumpkin as mild or as stomach-turning as you want! Instead of vomiting guacamole, your pumpkin could spew wrapped candies – much more chill. If you want to get really wild with it, the pumpkin could puke worms (spaghetti) and blood (tomato sauce). A taco dip with ground beef or even just a bean dip would work well, too – plus all those chunks and textures would be SO gross!
This guacamole appetizer goes really well with a batch of Halloween Monsteritas (cucumber and jalapeño margaritas). Talk about a perfect Halloween party spread!

What You’ll Need

Pumpkin – Any size, any color, any shape of pumpkin will work here! Don’t be afraid to get creative. Choose a size that matches your needs – for a large party and a lot of guac, you’ll want a larger pumpkin. Whatever size you choose, just make sure to get a pumpkin that’s relatively flat on the bottom so that it sits up well. You don’t want it to roll around and “vomit” guac all over the place.

Guacamole – Store-bought or homemade guacamole will both work for your puking pumpkin. You’ll want something that’s thicker, as opposed to an avocado salsa, so it holds a decent shape. Also, the chunkier the guacamole, the more visually interesting the whole arrangement will be!

Sharp Knife – Carving a pumpkin can be more difficult than it needs to be sometimes. One thing that makes a big difference is using the right tools. Make sure your knife is really sharp, and use a small, flat knife (like a paring knife) as opposed to a large knife. You’ll have better control over your cuts that way.

Chef’s Tips

If you want to use your puking pumpkin as a centerpiece or jack-o-lantern after the guac is gone, rub a little Vaseline (petroleum jelly) onto the cut-out edges of the face. Vaseline will help the edges stay fresh a little longer.
To make carving your pumpkin a little easier, use push pins! Draw your design (or place a stencil) on the side of the pumpkin. Then, insert push pins along the lines of your design, pressing hard enough to make holes in the pumpkin shell. Once you’ve done the whole design, it’s just a matter of connecting the dots with the knife!
I cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin to access the insides, but you can cut yours around the stem on top if you’d rather. I think it looks a little nicer without the cut seam around the top, and supposedly cutting the bottom instead of the top keeps the pumpkin fresher longer, too.

Angled puking pumpkin with guacamole on a plate surrounded by tortilla chips

Be Sure to Try These Pumpkin Recipes, Too!

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Puking Pumpkin with Guacamole “Vomit”

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time0 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: halloween, kid friendly, party food

Servings:

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Sharpie
Sharp knife (paring knife or other small knife)
Large metal spoon (or ice cream scoop)
Parchment paper or plate

Ingredients

1 pumpkin wiped clean, then dried
guacamole or other thick dip of choice
tortilla chips optional, for serving

Instructions

Using Sharpie (or similar marker), draw large circle on bottom of pumpkin, encircling center point. Circle should be big enough to allow your hand inside pumpkin.
Use sharp paring knife to cut along Sharpie circle, inserting knife deep enough to cut completely through bottom of pumpkin shell. Once entire circle is cut, remove center of shell and set aside.
Use large spoon to scoop out all seeds, strings, and guts from inside of pumpkin. Discards innards or set aside for another purpose. Continue scraping inner wall of side you intend to carve, until wall is roughly 1" thick.
Carve desired face into thinned side of pumpkin using sharp paring knife, following stencil or hand-drawn design of choice. Discard excess pieces from side of shell. Replace bottom circle of shell.
Set carved pumpkin on long sheet of parchment paper, or place large plate beneath carved mouth. Scoop guacamole onto parchment paper or plate, then build dip up and into pumpkin mouth, to give appearance of vomit. Serve with tortilla chips (or fresh veggies, or crostini).

Notes

Dip: If you don’t want to use guacamole, use an equally thick dip in its place. Something thin (like queso) won’t work here because it won’t hold any sort of shape without a container. You’ll end up with a huge mess! A taco dip with ground beef or even just a bean dip would work well, or you could just use wrapped candies for a less-gross version.
I highly recommend NOT trying to move the pumpkin once you’ve added the guacamole. If you’re using this as a centerpiece for a party or snack table, place the pumpkin where it needs to be first, then add the guacamole. Moving everything together is too risky.

Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes and the amount of guacamole used.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving of guacamole, not including any tortilla chips. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used

Nutrition

September 23, 2021 Air Fryer

Air Fryer Scallops

Scallops are cooked to buttery, tender perfection in the air fryer! With just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on-hand, you’ll have delicious scallops in under 10 minutes.

What Makes These Scallops So Good

We kept the seasoning simple, making them the perfect addition to virtually any meal! Serve these delicious scallops over a salad or alongside your favorite roasted veggies for a healthy, low-carb meal.
The air fryer takes all the guesswork out of how to cook scallops! This delicate seafood can be easily either over or undercooked. Therefore, by tossing them in the air fryer for just 6 minutes – we take all the guesswork out of how long to cook this sometimes tricky dish!
They’re perfectly tender and nearly melt in your mouth! There’s nothing quite like a simple yet perfectly cooked scallop. These scallops are buttery and insanely delicious with even the most simple seasoning.

Key Ingredients

Sea Scallops – There are two main types of scallops which are sea scallops and bay scallops. While also delicious, bay scallops are much smaller than the sea variety. We use sea scallops in this air fryer recipes because of their larger size and heartier texture. However, if you’d like to air fry bay scallops, you most certainly can. For bay scallops, set the air fryer to just 4 or 5 minutes instead of 6 minutes.

Spray Cooking Oil – Spray cooking oil is an extremely helpful ingredient when it comes to cooking in the air fryer. The spray allows seamless and easy coating of the inside of any air fryer basket or tray. Though if you don’t have spray cooking oil, you can use a drizzle of your favorite vegetable oil instead.

Chef’s Tips

Feel free to switch up the flavors of this recipe however you’d like! A sprinkling or garlic powder or even a touch of Old Bay seasoning would make delicious additions to these air fryer scallops.
If you’re concerned about whether or not the scallops are cooked through, then simply give them a quick check with a meat thermometer. Scallops are done cooking once they’ve reached an internal temperature of 120° Fahrenheit!
Be sure to pat each scallop totally dry in the first step of this recipe! Dry scallops will cook up with that delectable crispy golden brown outside.

overhead image of air fryer scallops on a plate with fresh parsley on top

Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love

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Air Fryer Scallops

Scallops are cooked to buttery, tender perfection in the air fryer! With just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on-hand, you'll have delicious scallops in under 10 minutes.

Prep Time2 mins

Cook Time6 mins

Total Time8 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 15 minutes, fewer than 5 ingredients, seafood

Servings: servings

Calories: 63kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

6 large sea scallops
spray cooking oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

Pat scallops dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
Spray the inside of air fryer basket with cooking oil, place scallops inside, then spray scallops with oil.
Cook at 400° Fahrenheit for 6 minutes, pausing to flip halfway through. Serve scallops with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Notes

Recipe yields approximately 2 servings of 3 scallops each. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving, out of 2. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

August 24, 2021 Breakfast

Keto English Muffin

A keto English muffin might just be the easiest keto recipe you’ll ever make! This single-serve recipe gives you a buttery, rich English muffin, baked right in the microwave and then toasted to perfection. Gluten free and easy to make paleo!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

This keto English muffin recipe seriously could not be any easier! I’ve generously listed the prep and cook time as 5 minutes each, but honestly, you’ll probably be ready to sit down and eat in less than 5 minutes total.
The convenient single-serve portion makes tracking macros even easier. Don’t feel like “baking” a muffin every day? The muffins actually refrigerate and reheat well, so if you want to make up a few at a time, you can! Refrigerate them in an airtight container up to 3 days.
They’re super versatile! This recipe has a pretty neutral flavor, so it goes well with a lot of things. Top it with an easy hollandaise sauce, butter, or homemade sugar free jam for a too-good-to-be-true keto breakfast or brunch dish. You could also use this as the “bread” for a breakfast sandwich or even for a burger!

Key Ingredients

Almond Flour – Use a blanched almond flour that’s very fine, so your keto English muffins always come out perfectly, buttery soft, never grainy. I haven’t tried this recipe without almond flour, and I’m not entirely sure it would work without it. If you’d like a keto bread with no almond flour, though, try the bread from our keto grilled cheese or keto French toast recipes.

Coconut Flour – This is a thirsty flour that requires a fair bit of liquid. I haven’t tried making this recipe without it yet. If you want to try leaving out the coconut flour, you’ll likely need to add at least 2 additional tablespoons of almond flour to make up the difference.

Chef’s Tips

For a lighter, fluffier English muffin, use only the white of one egg, instead of one whole egg. It’ll taste a little less eggy that way, too
I find that the keto English muffin releases from the ramekin more easily if I run a butter knife or silicone spatula around the inner edge of the dish first. Place a plate upside down on top of the ramekin, then flip everything over at the same time and give the bottom of the ramekin a tap or two. The muffin should slide right out onto the plate.
Feel free to play around with the flavors in this recipe! As-is, this would give you a “plain” or “regular” keto English muffin. You could add a little cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, Everything But the Bagel seasoning, or even a little garlic and onion powder.

More Keto Recipes You’ll Enjoy

Keto English muffin, sliced in half, buttered, and set on a plate with a butter knife to the right.

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Keto English Muffin (Gluten Free)

A keto English muffin might just be the easiest keto recipe you'll ever make! This single-serve recipe gives you a buttery, rich English muffin, baked right in the microwave and then toasted to perfection. Gluten free and easy to make paleo!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: English, Keto

Keyword: 15 minutes, easy to make, microwave recipe

Servings:

Calories: 270kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Microwave-safe ramekin or ceramic mug
Microwave
Toaster or toaster oven

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
2 ½ tablespoons almond flour
½ tablespoon coconut flour
1 pinch salt

Instructions

Place butter in ramekin. Microwave in short bursts, stirring between each, until butter is completely melted.
Add egg to melted butter. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Slowly stir in remaining ingredients one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each ingredient. Mixture should be smooth with few lumps.
Return ramekin to microwave. Microwave mixture 90 seconds on full power, or until firm.
Let cool slightly, then remove english muffin from ramekin. Slice in half (like a hamburger bun) then toast to preference. Serve with keto-friendly jelly, sugar free syrup, an easy hollandaise sauce, or butter.

Notes

Make it Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter.

Recipe yields 1 keto English muffin. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 muffin. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used, as well as portion sizes.

Nutrition

August 17, 2021 Air Fryer

Brats in the Air Fryer

Making brats in the air fryer is super easy! Perfectly cooked brats are ready in just 15 minutes, with minimal effort and cleanup.

air fryer brats on a baking sheet with saueurkraut, mustard, and buns

Why I Love Cooking Brats in the Air Fryer

They cook up super fast in the air fryer! Other cooking methods such as grilling, on the stove, or in the oven typically take around 30 minutes. However, the air fryer cooks brats in record time – just under 15 minutes!
The air fryer takes all the guesswork out of how long to cook these German sausages! Simply set the air fryer to 14 minutes, then pause at 7 minutes to give them a quick flip. Once the timer goes off, you’re guaranteed fully and perfectly cooked brats every time!
You can serve them however you’d like! I love my bratwurst in a brioche roll with sauerkraut and mustard. Though if you’re looking for a low-carb meal, simply serve them over a bed of sautéed pepper and onions with kraut and mustard on the side – yum!

Key Ingredients

Uncooked Brats – Any uncooked brats will work in this recipe! Beer brats are a popular variety and I personally love the extra bit of flavor. However, you can use any kind of uncooked brat you’d like. If you can’t find uncooked brats, you can swap them out for uncooked sausage if you’d like!

Chef’s Tips

Pause your air fryer at 7 minutes to give the brats a quick flip. Flipping them halfway through cooking will ensure they cook and brown evenly on all sides!
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be able to fit more brats if you’d like! However, I recommend only fitting as many brats into the air fryer as you can in a single layer. Do not stack the brats on top of each other, which will cause them to cook unevenly.
Line your air fryer basket with an air-fryer-safe parchment paper to help soak up any excess grease. Brats have a tendency to release quite a bit of grease once cooked. Therefore, you can either pat them try with a paper towel when they’re done cooking, or get ahead of things by cooking them atop a layer of parchment paper! Just make sure to use parchment paper that’s safe for the air fryer.

close-up image of air fryer brats with mustard on the side

More Simple Air Fryer Recipes

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5 from 1 vote

Brats in the Air Fryer

Making brats in the air fryer is super easy! Perfectly cooked brats are ready in just 15 minutes, with minimal effort and cleanup.

Cook Time14 mins

Total Time14 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: German

Keyword: 15 minutes, air fryer, bratwurst

Servings: servings

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

5 uncooked brats

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 370° Fahrenheit. Place brats in single layer in basket.
Cook 14 minutes, pausing to flip brats halfway through.

Notes

Recipe yields approximately 5 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving out of 5 using uncooked brats. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

August 10, 2021 Dairy-Free

Instant Pot Bacon

Cooking bacon in the Instant Pot is quick, easy, and mess-free! Bacon, tongs, and an Instant Pot is all you’ll need to achieve perfectly crispy bacon in just 5 minutes.

What Makes This Method So Good

The high sides on the Instant Pot catch any splatter and cause less mess! One of the most annoying parts about cooking bacon is cleaning up the grease that somehow gets everywhere. This method gives you the perfectly crispy bacon you desire, minus the mess!
The Instant Pot cooks bacon in a fraction of the time of most other cooking methods. Just 5 minutes on the sauté setting is all you need for super crispy and delicious bacon!
It’s super simple and totally foolproof! This is one of those recipes that’s almost impossible to mess up. Keep an eye on the bacon as it cooks and remove it from the pot when it’s ready – that’s it!

What You’ll Need

Bacon – Your one and only ingredient here is bacon, so I highly recommend making it good quality bacon! I always make sure my bacon is free of added sugar, antibiotics, and is uncured. While I prefer the taste of regular pork bacon, you can use this method to cook turkey bacon as well!

Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot, though any size will work. However, depending on the size you might have to work in batches to cook all of your bacon. To prepare your Instant Pot for cooking bacon, start by plugging it in and then hitting the “Sauté” button. Next, adjust the time using the “+” and “-” symbols to set it to 5 minutes. Once the screen reads 5 minutes, wait for the pot to beep to tell you it’s starting to heat up and then get cooking!

Chef’s Tips

Keep an eye on the bacon as it cooks! Since this recipe takes just 5 minutes, the bacon will start to crisp up almost immediately. Therefore, you’ll want to keep a close eye on it to make sure you don’t accidentally overcook the bacon.
Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. With any cooked bacon, it will be pretty greasy once it’s done. Placing it on a sheet of paper towel will help to soak up much of the grease before eating!
Avoid overlapping any strips of bacon inside the Instant Pot. You may need to work in batches to cook all of your bacon, though this will ensure it cooks evenly and totally crispy!

a plate of bacon in front of an instant pot and a bowl of eggs

More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love

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Instant Pot Bacon

Cooking bacon in the Instant Pot is quick, easy, and mess-free! Bacon, tongs, and an Instant Pot is all you'll need to achieve perfectly crispy bacon in just 5 minutes.

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: instant pot recipe, less mess, less than 5 minutes

Servings: servings

Calories: 75kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

6 slices bacon cut in half

Instructions

Place bacon in a single layer at the bottom of Instant Pot.
Set to sauté for 5 minutes and cook, flipping frequently, until you’ve achieved your desired crispness.

Notes

Flip the bacon about every minute to ensure even cooking and crispness!

Recipe yields 12 half slices of bacon, or 3 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 4 half slices or 2 whole slices of bacon. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

July 29, 2021 Gluten-Free

Buffalo Burger with an Easy Burger Sauce

A buffalo burger is a delicious alternative to beef burgers or turkey burgers! Made with juicy, lean ground bison and topped with an incredible burger sauce, this buffalo burger recipe is about to be a new favorite in your meal rotation!

Close up photo of buffalo burger with burger sauce, tomato, onion, and lettuce on a bun

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Buffalo burgers are incredibly tender and juicy. Don’t let the name scare you – there’s not actually buffalo in them. They use bison meat instead. “Bison” and “buffalo” are used interchangeably a lot of the time, but they’re actually different animals.
Ground bison is a leaner meat than ground beef, making it a great alternative if you’re watching your fat intake but feeling burnt out on turkey burgers. Because it’s so lean, it cooks quickly, so this is also a great dinner option if you’re crunched for time!
If you’re used to eating beef burgers, you might notice a slight (wonderful) difference with these. It’s really similar to ground beef, but a little sweeter, and it’s not at all gamey. Perfect for the not-quite-as-adventurous eaters in your family.

Key Ingredients

Ground Bison – One of the really nice things about ground bison is that you can use it for so many things besides a buffalo burger! Seriously. You can use it in pretty much any recipe that calls for ground beef.

Toppings – Since buffalo burgers taste so similar to beef burgers, you can get away with all your favorite burger toppings! Lettuce, onion, tomato, cheese, mayo, whatever you love!

What Temperature is Best for These Burgers?

How do you like your beef burgers cooked? You’ll want the same temp for your bison burgers!

It’s recommended to cook ground bison to an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit for food safety reasons. Like ground beef and steak, though, you can cook it a little less if you like it that way! I don’t recommend cooking it beyond that – it’ll dry out and become tough.

If you have time, I recommend letting the burgers rest out of the pan for 5 minutes or so before serving them. They’ll continue to cook a little during that time, but it’ll really lock in the juices. If you’re going to let them rest, take them out of then pan when they reach 155° Fahrenheit, so they don’t overcook.

Chef’s Tips

Resist the urge to press the buffalo burger down with a spatula while you’re cooking them. That’ll squeeze all the juiciness right out!
Since bison is a lean meat, you’ll want to cook it slowly, over a medium/medium-high heat, rather than a high heat. It won’t take long to cook, but it’ll be easy to overcook. If you’re worried about the buffalo burger being dry, add a little Worcestershire sauce to the meat mixture.
Don’t overhandle the meat when you form the patties! Packing them together too much will toughen them. If you’re worried they’ll fall apart as they cook, refrigerate them first, then cook them cold. They’ll stay together better cooked from cold than cooked from room temperature. Don’t move them around in the pan, either!
Before cooking the buffalo burger patties, press your thumb into the center of the top of the patties. It’s a little thing, but that light impression will keep the meat from puffing up while it cooks.

Buffalo burger with burger sauce, onion, tomato, lettuce on a bun, sitting on a wooden cutting board

Other Delicious Burger Recipes You’ll Love

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5 from 1 vote

Buffalo Burger with an Easy Burger Sauce

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bison burger, cookouts, easy to make

Servings: burgers

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Large bowl
Plate
Medium bowl
Large pan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter for cooking, see Notes
toppings of choice

For the Buffalo Burger Patties

1 pound ground bison
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Burger Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pickle relish
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add ground bison, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to large bowl and thoroughly combine ingredients. Form mixture into four (4) burger patties and set aside.
In medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Combine thoroughly and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. When melted, place burgers in pan. Cook in batches if needed.
Cook approximately 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 4 minutes or so, until desired doneness is reached.
Remove from pan and serve with burger sauce and favorite burger toppings.

Notes

Make it Lower Fat: Use a low fat oil instead of butter to cook the burger patties. Use a low fat mayo in the burger sauce, or skip the burger sauce altogether. Note: low fat products often have added sugars to make up for the over-processing, so keep that in mind if you’re watching your carbs or sugar intake.
Make it Dairy Free: Use dairy free butter or a neutral oil to cook the burgers.
Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten free Worcestershire sauce.
Make it Keto/Added Sugar Free: Use granular Swerve in the burger sauce, or skip the sugar ingredient altogether. Make sure your ketchup is low carb and no added sugar, or make your own keto ketchup.

Recipe yields 4 buffalo burgers with burger sauce. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 burger patty (cooked in butter) with sauce, not including bun or other toppings. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutritional Information for 1 Buffalo Burger Patty (Cooked in Butter) without Burger Sauce:

Nutrition

July 22, 2021 Keto

Baked Keto Empanadas

These keto empanadas are a perfect low carb snack or meal. A cheesy, flaky keto crust folded around savory seasoned ground beef and sautéed veggies, then baked to perfection. Even the carb-eaters in your family will love these low carb empanadas!

keto empanadas, torn open to show filling

What Makes This Recipe So Good

They’re delicious! The keto empanada dough gets nice and crisp, and the ground beef filling is full of flavor from the veggies and taco seasoning.
They’re super easy to make! All of the ingredients are pretty typical pantry staples if you’re following keto, so you may even have everything you need to make these right now.
Keto empanadas can be a make-ahead recipe of sorts. Make the filling and the dough, then store them separately, each in its own airtight container. Refrigerate them up to 24 hours, then when you’re ready to cook them, let the filling come to room temperature. After that you can finish the recipe out as written!

Key Ingredients

Ground Beef – You could swap this out with ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken if you want!

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – Keto pro-tip: use a fresh mozzarella and grate it/shred it yourself. The prepackaged stuff is convenient, but they usually contain fillers and anti-caking agents to prevent clumping. The downside to those add-ins? Unnecessary carbs.

Almond Flour – We haven’t tested this recipe with any other low carb flours, so we can’t recommend any substitutions here. If you try any, let us know how it goes!

Xanthan Gum – I tried making these without adding xanthan gum and it just didn’t work. Don’t skip it!

Chef’s Tips

The keto empanada dough can be kind of sticky. If you have trouble with it sticking to your hands when you press the discs, try pressing it under a layer of parchment paper. You could also refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or so.
If you’d like even crispier keto empanadas, you can pan-fry them in a neutral oil, like avocado or olive oil. OR, for a lighter alternative, use our air fryer empanada method!
These empanadas freeze really well! You can prepare the entire recipe as written, but don’t bake the empanadas right away. Instead, place the baking sheet of sealed empanadas in the freezer for an hour or so to let them set up. After that, you can transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the freezer up to 3 months. You can bake them from frozen for a super easy, effortless meal!

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Baked Keto Empanadas

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Latin, Mexican, Spanish

Keyword: hand pies, low carb, no added sugar

Servings: empanadas

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Oven
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Large pan
Spatula or large spoon
Large, microwave-safe bowl
Silicone spatula
Disher or cookie scoop with release handle
Fork
Basting brush

Ingredients

For the Empanada Filling

1 tablespoon butter
½ pound ground beef
½ of one yellow onion chopped
½ of one green bell pepper chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup water

For the Empanada Dough

3 cups shredded mozzarella
2 ounces cream cheese
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cups almond flour
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum

For the Egg Wash

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In large pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add ground beef and cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain ground beef, then add onions and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables are soft.
Add taco seasoning, tomato paste, and water. Stir until combined, then cook until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Place shredded cheese and cream cheese in large bowl. Microwave 1 minute, then stir and microwave one additional minute.
Stir in eggs, almond flour, salt, and xanthan gum. Mix until dough forms.
Use disher or cookie scoop to scoop dough into 12 balls. Flatten each ball into discs, each approximately ¼-inch thick.
Dollop 1-3 tablespoons of filling into center of each dough disc, being careful not to overfill.
Fold top edge of dough disc over filling to meet bottom edge of dough, forming a half moon shape. Press edges together with tines of fork or pinch to seal. Place folded empanada on baking sheet and repeat until all empanadas are folded in half. Lightly brush outside of empanadas with egg wash.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown outside and cooked through. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Notes

Yellow Onion: Some strict keto-followers don’t eat onion since it’s not technically keto-friendly, but some keto-followers do use it. Totally fine! You can skip it in this recipe if you want, and it’ll save you a carb or so overall.
Green Bell Peppers: Green peppers have fewer carbs than red, yellow, and orange ones. To shave off another carb overall, you can leave out the bell pepper if you want.
Shredded Cheese: Use fresh mozzarella and shred it yourself to avoid the extra fillers (and carbs) that are in pre-shredded cheese!
Tomato Paste: Use an organic tomato paste with no added sugar. The only sugars should come from the tomatoes themselves.

Recipe yields approximately 12 empanadas. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 empanada using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

July 15, 2021 Dairy-Free

Cheesy Keto Green Beans

These easy keto green beans are the perfect low carb dinner veggie! Simple, yet perfectly seasoned. They’re cheesy, crisp, and full of great flavor!

keto green beans on a baking sheet with red pepper flakes on top

What Makes This Recipe So Good

This recipe takes just 20 minutes to make! It’s perfect when you need a quick and healthy side dish.
They’re made with just a few simple ingredients. These keto green beans are lightly seasoned then topped with shredded cheese – YUM!
Each serving of these green beans has just 4g of net carbs! Making it super easy to fit into your low carb or keto diet.

Key Ingredients

Fresh Green Beans – This crisp veggie is available all year round at most grocery stores. They’re low in calories and loaded with vitamins and good-for-you dietary fiber. Green beans make a great addition to any keto or low-carb diet! To prepare your green beans for this recipe, start by giving them a good rinse under cold water, then snap off and remove the stems.

Parmesan Cheese – Parmesan cheese adds a delicate, yet sharp flavor to this side dish! I highly recommend purchasing a block of parmesan cheese and grating it yourself for this recipe. Most pre-grated cheeses have unnecessary fillers in them that pack in extra carbs. To keep this recipe keto and low-carb, grate or shred all the cheeses yourself.

Chef’s Tips

You can fancy up this dish by adding a squeeze of lemon juice or some lemon zest, a little butter (great if you need some more of your daily fat while on keto), bacon, or slivered almonds. You can even add a sprinkling of extra parmesan cheese once baked, if you’d like!
Keep a close eye on your cheese as the keto green beans bake. Depending on the position of your oven rack, the cheese can take less or more time to turn golden brown. If the cheese isn’t browning as much as you’d like, you can set the oven to broil for one minute!
While these keto green beans are best enjoyed while the cheese is still hot, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat in either the microwave or in a 400° Fahrenheit oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly!

keto green beans being lifted off a baking sheet with a spatula

More Veggie Recipes

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Cheesy Keto Green Beans

These easy keto green beans are the perfect low carb dinner veggie! Simple, yet perfectly seasoned. They're cheesy, crisp, and full of great flavor!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: low carb, under 30 minutes, vegetables

Servings: servings

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Ingredients

16 ounces fresh green beans
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the green beans, oil, garlic, salt and black pepper together in a large bowl.
Transfer green beans to the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove and toss green beans before evenly sprinkling with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Notes

Variations: Try adding a squeeze of lemon juice or some lemon zest, a little butter (great if you need some more of your daily fat while on keto), bacon, or slivered almonds.
Avoid pre-grated/shredded cheese for this recipe which may have added fillers and carbs!

Recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving out of 6. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition