40 recipes that use bacon to take dishes to another level

There's a lot to love about bacon, from its crispy texture to its salty flavor. So, while eating it on its own is always highly enjoyable, we can't help but find new ways to incorporate the cured meat into all of our meals.

Here we've rounded up breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes using bacon to take your taste buds from a simple "yum" to "WOAH!" There's a little something for everyone, from bacon-wrapped shrimp and caramelized onion bacon dip to bacon tacos and bacon-packed breakfast casserole.

A little tip to keep in mind when cooking bacon: You should never cook it straight out of the fridge. The fat holds onto the chill a little longer than the actual meat, so to cook it more evenly, you should let it sit at room temperature for just a bit before tossing it on the stove or in the oven.

Check out 40 of our favorite recipes using bacon in the slideshow below and if you associate bacon with breakfast and are now craving that too (sorry, not sorry), you can check out some delicious breakfast recipes here.