It's about time your plain asparagus side dish got an upgrade. We are about to take steak's favorite vegetable to new heights of savory goodness with this Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon! The process is super quick and easy and you'll end up with tender asparagus and crispy bacon.
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus is an excellent addition to any holiday meal and adds an extra special touch to steak night at home. Serve it alongside cowboy steaks and roasted dutch potatoes for a hearty and full-flavored dinner. Now, without further ado, let's get going on your new favorite side.
PICKING ASPARAGUS
When you're picking out the asparagus for this recipe, don't reach for the pencil-thin stalks. It's best to go with a medium-sized stalk. Thicker stalks would certainly stand up to the cooking time and the heat, however, they are notorious for having a stringy, woody texture. For Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon, a medium-thickness is definitely the way to go.
Look for healthy asparagus, with deep purple tips and tight, firm stalks. Healthy asparagus will yield a crisp snap when bent.
Love a good asparagus recipe? Try our Air-Fried Asparagus next!
HOW TO MAKE ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN BACON
The first thing you want to do is get your oven preheating to 400°F. For this recipe in particular, it's pretty important that your oven is ready and good to go before the asparagus goes in.
A sturdy, rimmed baking sheet is also of somewhat significant importance as the rim will catch any grease that could potentially drip. It's also best if you line your pan with either foil or parchment paper to ensure your bacon doesn't stick and you can easily flip your asparagus bundles when needed.
Now, it's time to prep some asparagus. Remove any tough or woody ends by snapping the asparagus ends right off. If you aren't sure where exactly to snap, don't fret one bit. It's easy! Just hold the asparagus horizontally and bend until it breaks. That's it!
However, if I'm being honest, I prefer to take the lazy way out for this Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon. Lay the entire bunch down on the work surface, (you'll need all the asparagus spears facing in the same direction) then, hold the bundle in place near the tip end, and take a good 3 inches off the end using a sharp, chef's knife. It doesn't get a whole lot faster than that when it comes to trimming your veggies!
Once you've taken care of those ends, we'll continue with the asparagus prep. Lay the asparagus on a work surface, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Then, sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Toss all of the asparagus in the oil and seasoning until evenly coated.
And now, the moment we've all been waiting for: Time to bring in the bacon. For this Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon recipe, you will need 5-6 slices of thin-cut bacon. Thin-cut bacon is very important. If the slice of bacon is too thick, the finished product will taste gummy and undercooked. (Psst! If you're mainly here for the bacon, check out our Bacon Wrapped Shrimp!)
Cut the bacon in half crosswise; you will need a half piece of bacon per bundle. This recipe will yield about 10-12 bundles.
Even though you likely followed directions and reached for an asparagus bundle that wasn't too thick and wasn't pencil thin, they won't be all one uniform size. Because of this, I like to separate my asparagus into thin asparagus piles and thicker asparagus piles before wrapping them.
This is because thinner asparagus will cook through more quickly than thick asparagus. For the thinner asparagus, you'll want to bundle up about four at a time, and for thicker asparagus, bundle three at a time. By bundling more, we are slowing down the heat transfer and keeping them from overcooking.
So, grab 3 or 4 stalks of asparagus and a half piece of bacon. Wrap your asparagus stalks tightly (yet, gently) and lay them down in a single layer on your prepared sheet pan. We use this same technique in our prosciutto-wrapped asparagus recipe.
Cook the Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus for about 14 minutes, using tongs to turn the wraps about halfway through the cooking time. Next, you're going to turn that broiler on high, and, under no circumstances, should you walk away at this point. Broiling the asparagus allows us to blister up that bacon quickly, without overcooking the asparagus.
Turn on the broiler and watch the bacon closely. As soon as the bacon begins to sizzle and deepen in color, pull out the Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon and set it aside to cool.
If using the broiler scares you, an alternative to crisping up the bacon is to use your stovetop. Once your Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus bundles have finished a total of 14 minutes at 400 degrees in the oven, have ready a large pan over medium-high heat. Transfer each bundle to the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes, turning the bundles so the bacon can make direct contact with the pan from all angles. Once the bacon is crisp, transfer the bundles to a serving dish and enjoy!
6 MORE SIDES YOU’LL LOVE
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Broccoli With Cheese Sauce
- Blistered Tomatoes
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Okra
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Cheese Sauce For Broccoli
Blistered Tomatoes
Roasted Baby Potatoes
Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Okra
This Asparagus Wrapped In Bacon recipe is the perfect way to add a little pizazz to your meal without any added hassle.
- 1 bunch of asparagus tough ends removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5-6 thin-cut strips of bacon, cut in half
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Preheat oven to 400° and have ready a rimmed baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or aluminum foil.
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Lay the asparagus out on a work surface and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until well coated.
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Gently, wrap 3-4 pieces of asparagus with a halved piece of bacon. The tighter you can get it, the better.
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Bake for 14 minutes. Use kitchen tongs to turn the asparagus halfway through the cooking time.
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Turn the broiler on high (do NOT walk away) and broil until the bacon begins to sizzle and slightly deepen in color, about 2-3 minutes for most broilers.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve and enjoy!
Makes about 8 bundles.
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