Rich & Savory Southern Okra Recipe With Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, Bacon & Onion (4 Ingredients) by Donna John

Okra is an underappreciated vegetable. While it does shine in many gumbo recipes in the south, it's not often seen on dinner tables as a side dish. I grew up eating okra and tomatoes. I found after I started cooking as an adult, in my opinion, okra and tomatoes needed to be cooked much longer than it normally is – and with lots of bacon. This southern skillet okra recipe is my tweak on that southern side dish, and is so delicious. This is one side dish recipe you need to add to your dinner rotation.

Photo credit (all photos): Donna John

Okra is not only versatile and delicious, but a healthy fruit. Yes, okra is really a fruit, not a vegetable. Whatever you call it, okra may boost heart health, help manage blood sugar, improve gut health, strengthen your bones and provides you with many vitamins and minerals – and that's just the beginning of the health benefits of okra.

To make this easy high-protein and high-fiber okra recipe you will need just four simple ingredients. Here's what to grab from your fridge and pantry for this gluten-free recipe: fresh okra, bacon, an onion and a can of fire-roasted tomatoes.

Cooking Tip: I used fire-roasted tomatoes, but you prefer you could use regular canned diced tomatoes or even stewed tomatoes.

The fresh okra needs to cook a bit to get dark, rich and savory. The tomatoes will create the Maillard reaction in this dish. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction with amino acids and sugars, and occurs when food is heated. The reaction creates rich, golden-brown colors and increases the flavor of a dish. There's really no magic to this reaction other than having sugar or acid (the canned tomatoes) and cooking it for a longer period of time.

Enough science. Serve this delicious okra as a side dish with your favorite proteins.

Cuisine: American / Southern
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound okra, ends removed and sliced
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 14.5 ounces (1 can) fire-roasted tomatoes (do not drain)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Do not drain the bacon grease.
   
2. Add the onion and cook about 2 minutes.
   
3. Add the okra and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
   
4. Add the can of fire-roasted tomatoes with the juice.
   
5. Season with salt and black pepper.
   
6. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until okra is tender.
   
7. Continue to cook until all liquid is absorbed and it has become a dark, rich color. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
   
8. Serve. Store any leftover okra in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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