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Asparagus wrapped in bacon is an impressive-looking side dish that is every bit as awesome to eat as it is to admire on the plate. I could happily make a full meal out of this asparagus!
And you can take these asparagus bacon bundles right over the top by drizzling them with a bit of balsamic glaze right before serving.
I’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with bacon-wrapped foods in the past. While we all love what bacon contributes to many different recipes, often when wrapping things in bacon, you lose that terrific bacon texture and things don’t always cook through the way we like best.
I’m happy to tell you that I’ve finally solved this one and the result is crispy, awesome, bacon-wrapped vegetable deliciousness. Admittedly, it takes a few extra minutes, but let me tell you it is worth that effort.
Serve bacon wrapped asparagus with Fresh Tomato Pasta, Grilled Chicken, or Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Red Skin Mashed Potatoes.
Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon
First things first, do not slap raw bacon around raw vegetables and expect everything to cook through perfectly. It sounds good in theory, but in my experience, it rarely works out that way.
I like to pre-cook the bacon for about 10 minutes in the oven while I’m blanching the asparagus. You want it to still be soft enough to wrap easily around the asparagus.
Take care not to cook it all the way through. It sounds like a fussy extra step, but you’ll be waiting on the asparagus anyways, and it really is worth it.
Blanching the asparagus makes sure they’re cooked through without becoming too soft in the process. To blanch them, you’ll drop them into rapidly boiling water and let them cook for just a couple of minutes before draining them and placing them in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Recipe
Pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel before tossing it with a little bit of oil and seasonings. Then wrap a few asparagus in each half piece of bacon, brush them with the irresistible buttery brown sugar mixture, and pop them back in the oven.
Please trust me here, the extra step of pre-baking the bacon and blanching the asparagus is worth it. You’ll have perfectly chewy-crisp bacon alongside tender-crisp bites of asparagus!
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
YES! You can make this ahead of time. Prep everything up to roasting the bundles and place the wrapped asparagus in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, brush with butter and place on a sheet pan. Roast as directed below.
And YES again, this works beautifully in the air fryer. The cooking temps and times should remain the same, but keep an eye on it as it cooks and adjust as needed.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus ends trimmed, about 18-30 spears depending on thickness
- 6-8 slices bacon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- balsamic glaze for serving OPTIONAL
Instructions
Pre-Bake the Bacon
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the bacon strips out across a foil-lined baking sheet and place them in a cold oven. Place the bacon on the middle rack and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Blanch the Asapragus
- While the bacon is roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and salt to the boiling water. Cook the asparagus until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water while the asparagus is cooking. Set it next to the sink. Use tongs to transfer the asparagus to the ice water to stop cooking. (You can also drain the asparagus in a colander and plunge it immediately into ice water.) Once cooled, drain the asparagus in a colander.
Make the Asapragus Bundles
- Pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel and place on the same sheet pan used for the bacon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then wrap 3-4 asparagus stalks in each piece of bacon. Place the wrapped bundles on the same baking sheet.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and then brush the bacon wrapped asparagus with it. Roast for 10-12 minutes, until the asparagus is lightly browned and the bacon is crisp.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
where do the beans that are mentioned come in?
oh my goodness. Thank you for catching that, Pam. There aren’t any beans in this recipe. That should’ve said asparagus. I’ve corrected it now. Thanks again!