January 20, 2023
Review RecipeBacon Wrapped Asparagus
Crispy bacon surrounding delicious asparagus spears and cooked to perfection in the oven—there's a whole lot to love about bacon wrapped asparagus!
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This bacon wrapped asparagus is a tasty twist on eating your veggies. When you take a fresh vegetable like tender asparagus, wrap it in crispy bacon and roast it in the oven, it is instantly drool-worthy.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 2 (8-ounce) bunches of thick-cut fresh asparagus spears, trimmed (this is approximately 32 spears total)
- 1 (12-ounce package) center-cut bacon strips
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
PRO TIP:
Make sure to use center-cut bacon slices, not thick-cut. This makes sure that your bacon can cook evenly and thoroughly without overcooking or burning your asparagus. Also, the center-cut pieces don’t have as much fat per slice as standard-cut bacon. This makes for a much better end product.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
ASPARAGUS: Thicker asparagus works best for this easy recipe, but you can use skinny stalks as well. If using thin asparagus, you will want to cut your pieces of bacon and use ½ of each piece to wrap the asparagus.
BACON: You can use any brand of thin bacon you prefer. I do not recommend using thick-cut bacon for this recipe as it is tough to get crispy and takes a long time to cook bacon. You could also use turkey bacon in place of regular pork bacon.
GARLIC SALT: If you do not have garlic salt, you can substitute ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Combine those with the black pepper and use it in the recipe.
How To Make This Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Recipe
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe wire rack on top of the foil and set it aside.
STEP TWO: Rinse the asparagus spears in cool water, pat dry, and trim the woody ends off of the asparagus spears. About 1 to 2 inches. Set aside.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
A great trick to knowing exactly where to trim your fresh asparagus stalks: hold one stalk in your hands and gently snap the stalk. The stalk part will naturally snap where the woody part meets the tender part. Once you do this, you can lay the other stalks next to the snapped one, and that will be your guide as to where to trim the remainder of the stalks.
STEP THREE: In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt and black pepper. Set aside.
STEP FOUR: Place the trimmed asparagus into a shallow dish, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle the spice blend over the top of the asparagus spears. Toss it all together to coat it evenly.
STEP FIVE: Gather 4 asparagus spears together. Using one piece of bacon, wrap the asparagus bundle making sure not to overlap the bacon too much. Place each bacon-wrapped bundle onto the wire rack-lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave space between each bundle.
PRO TIP:
If your asparagus stalks are really skinny, I would increase the number of stalks you put into each bundle of asparagus by 2 to 3 extra stalks.
STEP SIX: Cook the asparagus bundles for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender and the bacon is crisp but not burnt.
STEP SEVEN: Remove the tray from the oven and turn your oven to broil. Flip all of the little bundles over and put the baking sheet back into the oven, allowing the bottom side of the bundles to crisp up under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye so that you do not burn the asparagus.
PRO TIP:
Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese right before serving for an even more yummy flavor.
How To Serve
These bacon-wrapped asparagus bundles should be served immediately while the bacon is still nice and crisp. A serving of 2 bundles would make a great side dish for any dinner. Make them with burgers, grilled chicken or salmon, and a yummy pasta salad.
If you have extra asparagus hanging out in your fridge, this creamy chicken and asparagus recipe is delicious. Our bacon-wrapped pineapple is another great way to make a bacon-y treat.
MORE BACON RECIPES
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: To store bacon-wrapped asparagus, place your leftovers in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. When reheating, it can be tricky to make sure that your bacon stays crispy and the asparagus doesn’t get soggy. You can use the microwave to reheat. It’s quicker, but we have found that often this leaves the asparagus a bit soggy. For the best results, we recommend reheating in the oven.
IN THE FREEZER: We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Enjoy asparagus season and pick up a bunch of asparagus for dinner tonight. Bacon-wrapped asparagus is an easy side dish. It goes perfectly with your grilled chicken or hamburger on the grill.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you know where to trim asparagus?
Take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger and bend gently until it snaps. The asparagus automatically breaks where the woody part ends, and the fresh, tender asparagus begins.
Why do I need to use a wire rack on the baking sheet for cooking this recipe?
Using the wire rack both helps with the airflow and lets any extra bacon fat drip down to allow the bacon to crisp up better.
Can I make bacon-wrapped asparagus in the oven ahead of time?
You can prepare this recipe a day ahead and simply pop them in the oven just before you are ready to serve them.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegetable Casserole
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Green Bean Casserole
- Parmesan Pork Chops
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Salmon in Foil
- Oven Baked Bacon
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Easy Grilled Chicken with Beer Marinade
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Crispy bacon surrounding delicious asparagus spears and cooked to perfection in the oven—there's a whole lot to love about bacon wrapped asparagus!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 bundles
Ingredients
- 16 ounces thick-cut asparagus spears, trimmed (this is approximately 32 spears total)
- 12 ounces bacon strips, center-cut
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe wire rack on top of the foil and set it aside.
- Rinse the asparagus spears in cool water, pat dry, and trim the ‘woody’ end off of the asparagus spears. About 1 to 2 inches. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Place the trimmed asparagus into a shallow dish, drizzle with the olive oil and then sprinkle the spice blend over the top of the asparagus spears. Toss it all together to coat evenly.
- Gather 4 asparagus spears together. Using one piece of the bacon, wrap the asparagus bundle making sure not to overlap the bacon too much. Place each bacon wrapped bundle onto the wire rack-lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave space between each bundle.
- Cook the asparagus bundles for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender and the bacon is crisp but not burnt.
- Remove the tray from the oven and turn your oven to broil. Flip all of the bundles over and replace the baking sheet back into the oven, allowing the bottom side of the bundles to crisp up under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye so that you do not burn the asparagus.
Notes
- If your asparagus stalks are really skinny, I would increase the number of stalks you put into each bundle by 2 to 3 extra stalks.
- If you do not have garlic salt, you can substitute ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Combine those with the black pepper and use it in the recipe.
- A great trick to knowing exactly where to trim your asparagus stalks: hold one stalk in your hands and gently snap the stalk. The stalk will naturally snap where the ‘woody’ part meets the tender part. Once you do this, you can lay the other stalks next to the snapped one, and that will be your guide as to where to trim the remainder of the stalks.
- Make sure to use center-cut bacon slices, not thick-cut. This makes sure that your bacon can cook evenly and thoroughly without overcooking or burning your asparagus. Also, the center-cut pieces don’t have as much fat per slice as standard-cut bacon. This makes for a much better end product.
Nutrition
Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
jay platte says
the bacon and asparagus compliment each other so well!! 10/10!
Gloria says
This is a summer favorite for us!
Marlene says
Taste very good!!!