Cheesy Beef Bacon Ranch Monkey Bread (Printable version)
Savory pull-apart bread with beef, bacon, cheddar and ranch flavors.
# What you need:
→ Meats
01 - 7 oz lean ground beef
02 - 5 oz cooked bacon, crumbled
→ Bread & Dairy
03 - 2 cans (about 28 oz total) refrigerated biscuit dough
04 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
05 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
→ Seasonings & Garnishes
06 - 1 packet (about 1 oz) ranch seasoning mix
07 - 2 spring onions, finely sliced (optional)
08 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
09 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# How To:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan or tube pan thoroughly with nonstick spray or butter.
02 - In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until fully cooked through. Drain any excess fat, season lightly with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool slightly.
03 - Open the cans of refrigerated biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into quarters. Transfer all pieces to a large mixing bowl.
04 - Add the cooked beef, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, ranch seasoning mix, and melted butter to the bowl with the biscuit pieces. Gently toss everything together until evenly coated and well combined.
05 - Transfer the mixture evenly into the prepared bundt pan, packing it down lightly. Sprinkle the sliced spring onions and chopped parsley over the top if desired.
06 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown and the bread is cooked through completely.
07 - Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm in pull-apart style.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It requires zero baking skill and rewards you with something that looks like you tried way harder than you did.
- The combination of bacon, ranch, and melted cheddar on soft biscuit pieces is the kind of flavor that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
02 -
- Do not skip the cooling step or the whole thing will fall apart when you flip it, which I learned the hard way at a potluck.
- Grease every single corner of that bundt pan, including the center tube, because baked on cheese is a nightmare to scrub off.
03 -
- Toss the biscuit pieces with the ranch seasoning first before adding the wet ingredients so the flavor actually sticks to the dough instead of pooling at the bottom.
- Let the beef cool for a few minutes before mixing it in or it will melt the cheese prematurely and create a greasy clump instead of distinct pockets of goodness.