Incredible Side Dish: Stewed Tomatos with Asparagus, Bacon, and Leeks

We came across this recipe for asparagus stewed in tomatoes with leeks and bacon and thought it sounded delicious. We love tomatoes, and asparagus is great right now. Plus, how can anything be bad when you cook it in with bacon and leeks? This is a perfect side dish for pretty much anything, and we chose to cook up some light and simple fish to go with it. Really though, it’d be great with chicken, steak, or pork too.

The flavors are full and bright, and the asparagus is a great main player. The bacon and leeks give it a nice savoriness that really fill it out.

Making the Dish

What You’ll Need
2 strips thick cut bacon, diced up
1 leek, cleaned, and sliced up
1/4 red onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bunch asparagus, botton hard end clipped off
salt and pepper to taste

Get started by cooking up the bacon. Cook it over low heat to let the fat render out. When it is nice and crispy, remove it from the heat and let it drain on a paper towel.

Remove any excess fat in the pan so that you have about 2 tbsp left. Then start to saute the leeks and red onion in the fat. Add in a touch of salt and let the leeks and onion cook until they are nice and soft.

Add in the tomatoes and stir together to combine. Add in the salt and pepper and let come to a boil. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Add in the asparagus, and stir to combine. Bring back to a boil, and then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 – 20 minutes until the asparagus is soft.

When the asparagus has softened, add the bacon back into the mix, and stir everything together to combine. Serve on the side with a quickly cooked fish, simply grilled steak, or chicken. Enjoy!