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Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

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My goodness, Easter Sunday has really snuck up on me this year, which is strange because you’d think with it being so late in April I’d have been anticipating its coming and planned accordingly.

But I promised I would share some ideas for your Easter menu in addition to some fun desserts, so here we go.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on a serving plate.

I love asparagus when it’s in season, and I love bacon all year round!  So bacon wrapped in asparagus is a no brainer, slam dunk!

So while it’s really a simple TWO INGREDIENT elegant way to serve your veggies for Easter, I do have a few tips to help it turn out just right.  

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on a serving plate.

The problem with wrapping bacon around your asparagus is that the asparagus tends to be cooked through before the bacon is crispy.  So instead of wrapping a whole piece of bacon around the asparagus, slice it down the center so you have two thin strips, and only use half for each piece of asparagus.  This helps the bacon cook faster.

Also, you want to look for “Center Cut” bacon, which has less fat.  The fatty part of the bacon is what takes more time to get crisp.  So lean bacon (haha, oxymoron) is the way to go.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on a serving plate, with a stack of plates and forks in the background.

Lastly, you want to buy asparagus with thicker stalks.  Usually, I like to buy the thinner ones because they are more tender, but in this case I think the thicker stalks hold up better.

Bacon wrapped asparagus on a Silpat lined baking sheet.

In order to reduce bacon shrinkage and unraveling in the oven, you will want to put your bacon wrapped asparagus into a cold oven, turn on the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes total.  The gradual increase in heat helps the bacon hold it’s shape.

Feel free to assemble these guys ahead of time, and then just bake them right before serving.  It’s always nice to have your side dishes all ready to go beforehand.

At our big family Easter get together, I’m in charge of rolls, and I’m going to be sharing my go to recipe, Best Butterhorn Rolls, for you later this week.  I’ve been making them since I was a spring chicken myself, and I know you’ll love them as much as my family does!

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Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

  • Author: Julie
  • Yield: 5 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch asparagus (20 stalks)
  • 10 pieces of center cut bacon
  • *Any quantity is fine, you just want to make sure you have half as many whole strips of bacon as you do asparagus.

Instructions

  1. Wash asparagus and pat dry. Trim off the woody stem – usually the bottom 2 inches.
  2. Slice strips of bacon down the center so you have two long, thin pieces.
  3. Wrap the bacon around the asparagus and place on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet.
  4. Place the baking sheet in the oven (with the oven rack on the upper middle slot), then turn it on to 400 degrees. The bacon wrapped asparagus should be in the oven during the preheat phase.
  5. Bake for a total time of 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.
  6. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Serving
  • Calories: 121
  • Sugar: 0.8g
  • Sodium: 396mg
  • Fat: 8.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.8g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5.1g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 2.9g
  • Fiber: 1.2g
  • Protein: 9.2g
  • Cholesterol: 23mg
Can't go wrong with two-ingredient recipes, and everyone loves bacon!
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Comments

  6. Thanks for this fabulous – and simple to execute – idea. I have to confess I’ve never tried asparagus, and I think this preparation would be a perfect introduction to it. 🙂 Can’t wait to give it a try!

    Reply

  7. These are so pretty and elegant Julie. I love how simple they are, yet they’re 100% company worthy. I’m thinking these would be perfect to bring to my in-laws house for brunch, since they can be made ahead of time and are so easily transportable. Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply

  9. These were a HUGE hit at Easter! I had to bundle two asparagus to one half-strip of bacon, because I could only find thin asparagus, but it worked! Also, due to Easter “Kitchen Madness” I wasn’t able to wait for the oven to cool and then preheat… I stuck them in at 275 and put the temp up to 400 maybe 5-10 min later, and they still turned out great. Phew! 🙂

    Reply

    • I am baking chicken tonight, and my oven has to be set at 450 for 40 minutes…my question is when should i put these lovely little bacon wrapped asparagus in?? How should I go about this?
      Thank you!

      Reply

      • Mary, my best advice would be to just take the chicken out and turn the oven down and just bake the asparagus while the chicken rests. If you decide to do them together, try 425 and adjust the baking time accordingly. Hope this helps!

        Reply

  10. I followed the recipe and tips to avoid overcooking the asparagus. I still overcooked the asparagus before the bacon was crispy. Next time I will wrap the bacon around two pieces of asparagus, like Grace advised. 🙂

    Reply

  13. I’ve made this dish dozens of times, but I always do a quick Google search to verify an oven temperature or maybe discover a new twist on an old favorite, and I was glad to have found this page. I’ve always known that it’s best to put bacon into a cold oven, but I never followed this advice with regard to wrapping asparagus. Duh! More so, your idea to cut the bacon strips in half is sheer genius — my bacon turned out nice and crispy, even wrapped around a single stalk. It was also much easier to get those beautiful spirals. Thanks!

    Reply

  14. finally… I’ve tried to make this a couple of times on the stove top. honestly, it never worked out. so I’ll try this one next and see if there is a better result.

    Reply

    • I have not worked with precooked bacon, but I’m wondering if it would just crack when you try to wrap it around? I think it would be best to stick to the recipe as written in this case. Thanks for your question!

      Reply

      • You only cook the bacon until it starts to glisten. Two or three minutes, then roll as soon as it’s cool enough to handle. This method works good if you’re grilling and cannot start with a cold grill. I like splitting the bacon though. Such a great idea and it reduces calories from bacon. (not that there’s anything wrong with bacon)

        Reply

  16. A day off of work can sometimes turn into a LAZY day..well thats y these are PERFECT (delicious,low in fat and quick)…so to MY lovely little kitchen i go..Thanx Julie

    Reply

  17. I want to do this but was wondering, would the cook time change at all if I use turkey bacon? Personally I like regular bacon but my older kids are on a health kick so I thought I’d do both. Thanks!

    Reply

    • I have only made these with turkey bacon, since my daughter is highly sensitive to pork. Thin stalks of asparagus were not fully cooked inside at 20 minutes (starting from a cold oven), even though they looked a bit wrinkly on the outside. The next time I cooked them for 23 minutes, and the asparagus was cooked through — but the turkey bacon was slightly overcooked. I think I will try 22 minutes the next time. I’m not a fan of turkey bacon myself, but wrapped around asparagus, it’s pretty tasty .

      Reply

    • First time I ever had bacon wrapped asparagus was at a fancy wedding couple of years ago where there were lots of appetizers being served from trays carried among the guests. I don’t remember if they were hot but do remember them being delicious! So I’m here searching because I’m finally gonna try making these treats for valentine’s day dinner.

      Reply

      • First time I ever had bacon wrapped asparagus was at a fancy wedding couple of years ago where there were lots of appetizers being served from trays carried among the guests. I don’t remember if they were hot but do remember them being delicious! So I’m here searching because I’m finally gonna try making these treats for valentine’s day dinner.

        Okay, made these last night. Mmmmmmm they are sooo good! Most definitely keeping this recipe to make many more times! They are best eaten warm.

        Reply

  19. These look amazing, but I’ve only prepared asparagus with boiling before. Are you not supposed to peel them before putting them in the oven?

    Reply

    • Hi Markus, I don’t peel the asparagus, but I trim off the bottom of the stem (usually about 2 inches) that is tough and fibrous.

      Reply

  20. One small tip – if you cook these on broiler pan, the bacon grease drips into the pan, allowing the bacon to get crispy before the asparagus gets mushy. Line bottom of broiler pan to minimize clean-up. Served these at book club, and even with soft bacon and mushy asparagus there were no leftovers and loads of raves!

    Reply

  22. I love these, I shake the asparagus in a bag with a bit of olive oil first, sprinkle with a bit of pepper and salt and parmezan cheese, then wrap the bacon round. If you put them in the fridge for an hour or two before you make them then when you place them in the oven the bacon starts cooking sooner and the asparagus doesn’t get over done.
    Served up with balsamic vinegar or some lemon mayonnaise as a starter. Looks and tastes amazing!

    Reply

  23. I first tried these at a friend’s house a year or so ago. We’ve made it many times since then, weekly if asparagus looks good. We follow the recipe exactly & it’s delicious! We have a pan of them in the oven right now. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  24. With asparagus so expensive, I’ve found that if I just cut off the bottom end and use a vegetable peeler on the last couple inches of it, I can use almost the whole stalk. It worked great on this recipe.

    Reply

  25. I want to bring this to a party but I know their oven will be full with other things…can I cook these ahead of time and reheat for a couple mins in the oven later?

    Reply

    • Beata, sorry just getting back to you. I’m a little worried that everything might get a little soggy if these are transported, but I have heard that some people like to serve them at room temperature as a appetizer. I think I personally prefer them right out of the oven, but I understand why you would want to have them ready to go. Not too helpful, but those are my thoughts :0)

      Reply

      • I re-heated it for a minute (also had turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing on my plate) and it was a bit soggy…but still very good! We still ate it 🙂

        Reply

  27. Just stumbled upon this and would love to make in unfortunately all I have is the asparagus that you steam in the microwave (frozen) is this possible to do with that?

    Reply

  28. I did bacon wrapped asparagus before, but they were in small “bundles”. I like the looks of this. However last time I seem to remember covering the asparagus with olive oil and pepper. Thoughts?

    Reply

  29. Can I assemble and cook ahead, and reheat when I am ready to serve? I am taking the dish to a party and will have a couple hour travel time, so would like to do as much ahead of time.

    Reply

    • I think the asparagus and bacon might get too mushy. Maybe you could assemble them ahead, but bake them when you get there. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  30. So good! I have had them on the grill, but I am going to bake in the oven! And best yet, it is TOTALLY KETO! I am going to serve with Salmon (lemon, butter, garlic) and Keto cheese biscuits! YUM!

    Reply

  31. I am going to bring these to a cook out this weekend. I’m hoping I can transport them in a crockpot and keep on low when they are done.

    Reply

  32. l have been making this for the last three years. the thing I usually do is cook the bacon part way in
    a frying pan just until you can still wrap it around the asparagus. Then I sprinkle bacon grease over the
    asparagus and put it the oven. this way you can use the smaller more tender asparagus and it all gets done at he same time.

    Reply

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