Bacon Wrapped Asparagus is a beautiful and elegant side dish that is simple to make and will impress your guests. Tender asparagus, wrapped with bacon and simply seasoned goes well with any main dish and is perfectly portioned for either a plated dinner or a family-style one.
This dish is inspired by restaurants everywhere. I always thought it was clever that they served asparagus in these little bundles. Not only are they fancy-looking, I can see how having the asparagus bacon wraps prepped ahead of time made it really simple for the kitchen to get their plates out.
These asparagus bacon wraps will do the same for you in your home kitchen! Prep your veggie side this way to save time, avoid worrying about how much asparagus you’ll need per person, and serve an elegant and delicious side dish to your guests.
Love bacon wrapped recipes? Try my Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients. Asparagus, bacon, and the basic seasonings for this recipe are readily available any time of year.
- Classic Flavor. Asparagus just pairs so well with salty, smoky bacon. Bacon and asparagus is a perfect match.
- Gluten Free, Paleo, Keto. These ingredients are naturally gluten free, so this dish can be enjoyed by everyone.
- Portion Control. Don’t worry about how much asparagus your guests will eat. You’re controlling the portion size with these asparagus and bacon bundles. You can make extras in case people want seconds, but overall, this method will take the guesswork out of it.
- Simple Cooking Method. We’ll cook the asparagus wrapped in bacon in the oven, which is a pretty hands-off cooking method that produces tender asparagus and perfectly rendered bacon.
- Use it as an Appetizer. Serve bacon wrapped asparagus in place of or on top of a salad and serve as a first course, or include it with plated appetizers at a party.
How to Choose Asparagus
Asparagus is readily available in grocery stores all year, but in many areas, fresh local asparagus can be found in the spring months.
Asparagus comes in different sizes, and all of them are delicious when cooked properly. For this bacon asparagus recipe, I recommend a medium thickness asparagus, less than a ½ inch in width. Larger asparagus will take too long to cook using this method, and asparagus that is too thin runs the risk of burning.
Make sure that your bundle of asparagus contains spears that are all about the same size so that they cook at the same rate.
Fresh asparagus should be firm to the touch and stand up straight. Avoid asparagus that looks wilted or that the tops are mushy or soft. This is an indication that it’s no longer fresh.
Asparagus can come in white, green, or purple varieties. All of them will work in this recipe.
Love Asparagus? Try my Asparagus Tart recipe or see how I make Asparagus in the Air Fryer.
Ingredients in Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Asparagus. This recipe uses two pounds of asparagus, which should be about 2-3 dozen spears. You want to trim the woody ends off of each stalk, which should leave you with uniformly sized pieces.
- Butter. Melted butter adds a savory, silky texture and helps the bundles cook in the oven. You can substitute oil if you prefer. I’d suggest a nice olive oil.
- Bacon. Regular sliced bacon is the perfect option here. Thick-cut bacon is completely delicious, but it won’t work in this recipe because it will take too long to cook and you will risk burning the asparagus. I choose center-cut bacon so that the pieces are more meaty.
- Seasonings. I use Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper (check out my stone house seasoning recipe!). This trio of simple seasonings is great on almost anything, and that’s no different here. Asparagus and bacon are already very flavorful, they don’t need much more to be spectacular.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
A few minutes of prep time is well worth it in the end when you have perfectly cooked asparagus bacon wraps, ready to go for dinner.
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. This keeps the bacon from sticking to the pan, and makes cleaning up simple.
- Season Asparagus: Place the asparagus on the baking sheet, drizzle with melted butter, and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss until the asparagus is well coated.
- Bundle: Hold 4 or 5 asparagus spears together in a bundle and wrap each bundle with a strip of bacon. If necessary, secure them with toothpicks. If your asparagus is larger, you may only need three spears per bundle.
- Bake: Arrange bacon asparagus bundles on the baking sheet and bake as directed until the bacon is almost crispy.
These bacon asparagus bundles go well with any sort of main dish because of the simple flavors used. Try it with any of these recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions About Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
I suggest cooking this asparagus right before serving so that it’s warm and the bacon is crispy. If you want to do some preparation ahead of time, you can assemble the bundles and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
This recipe will give you cooked bacon that is just starting to crisp up. If you want more crisp, move the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes after cooking. Keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
Yep! This recipe is naturally low in carbs, gluten-free, and high in fat. If keto is your thing, this recipe is perfect.
You are going to love this recipe for bacon wrapped asparagus, I just know it! Come back and let me know how it went. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for everyone to enjoy as well.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 pounds asparagus spears about 24-36 spears, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8-9 strips bacon center cut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the asparagus on the baking sheet, drizzle with melted butter and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss until the asparagus is well coated.
- Hold every 4 or 5 asparagus spears in a bundle (depending on the thickness, you can do 3), and wrap each bundle in a strip of bacon. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.
- Arrange on the baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is almost crispy.
Notes:
- Butter can be subbed with olive oil.
- Don’t use thick-cut bacon as it takes too long to cook, and you can risk burning the asparagus.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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