Bacon Grape Tomato Dip

This recipe for Bacon Grape Tomato Dip is a good example of taking a recipe you really love and changing it a bit to create something new. The basis for this dip is one of my favorite recipes: Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes.

As much as I love that recipe, it is fussy to make. So I thought I could combine the flavors of that recipe to make this dip, which is about 100 times easier. All the flavors are here – you just don’t have to carefully fill 24 little tomatoes with a savory mixture.

This recipe is really best in the summer when grape tomatoes are at their best, but because there are so many other ingredients you can make it year-round. And here’s a hot tip: If you can find Sprinkles Tomatoes, which are very tiny and sweet, tender and flavorful tomatoes, use them. They are fabulous.

Serve this recipe with tortilla chips (nacho cheese is my favorite), sturdy potato chips, crackers, or even cucumber slices and bell pepper strips if you want to be healthier.

The caveats are as for the original recipe: don’t use low fat anything, use real bacon and real freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and don’t skip the Miracle Whip.

Tips for the best Bacon Grape Tomato Dip:

• Make sure the bacon is crisp. There’s nothing worse than soggy bacon.
• You have to, have to, have to use all real ingredients. Period.
• Serve this dip with sturdy potato chips, tortilla chips, bell pepper slices, and celery sticks.

Why this recipe works:

• The combination of smooth mayonnaise and tangy salad dressing is accentuated by the crisp bacon, salty cheese, and tender tomatoes. Flavor and texture contrasts in a recipe are always good.
• Because grape tomatoes are usually pretty good year round, and because the tomatoes are chopped, you can make this dip any time of the year. Whereas Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes are best made in the summer.
• Make the dip a couple of hours ahead of time if you’re entertaining. If not, just gobble it up.