Bacon-wrapped asparagus pleases a crowd without a lot of fuss — you only need two ingredients for this super simple recipe!
*originally published March 2015, updated November 27, 2019.
Bacon-wrapped asparagus is so incredibly simple that it’s almost a scandal to call it a recipe. But here it is.
This side dish is an instant crowd-pleaser — it’s not only easy to make, but it has bacon! Plus, it’s gluten free, dairy free, paleo, low carb, keto, and Whole30-friendly. The only friends it can disappoint are vegans, vegetarians, and weird folks who don’t like asparagus.
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Recipe Video
Keep food super simple
I’m really starting to re-discover and re-love super simple recipes. Simple food is so, so good!
A seasoned cook knows that simple is often king. Great roasted chicken requires less than 5 ingredients — sure, you can add extra steps, herbs, and spices to change things up, but you’ve got to start with something that’s delicious at its base!
I guess, if you want to get technical, this recipe would be a lot harder if you were making the bacon from scratch. But I think most of us aren’t down for that sort of process.
(I mean, I’m always down for trying something new, but I also want bacon-wrapped asparagus on my plate in under 30 minutes. Ya dig?)
Which bacon should I use?
Having made bacon-wrapped asparagus numerous times, I’ve found that the bacon you use DOES matter.
First off, I’m always going to opt for uncured bacon. It tastes great without all the crazy additives. Hopefully you’re on board with that.
Secondly, even though I will almost always choose thick-cut bacon for a given bacon recipe, it’s not the best choice here.
Opt instead for thinner bacon. Why? It crisps up faster, so the asparagus won’t overcook while you’re waiting for thick-cut slices to actually cook. Because you don’t want soggy bacon on your asparagus, and you don’t soggy asparagus encased in bacon jail.
So, go with thin uncured bacon. You’ll be happy you did!
Equipment for this recipe
Not that this recipe requires a lot of equipment…
But you can shop my favorite kitchen essentials through my Amazon favorites page!
More easy paleo recipes
- Chipotle Honey Roasted Carrots
- Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken
- Easy Cucumber Salad
- Maple Bacon Asparagus
- Roasted Garlic Butter Sweet Potato Mash
- Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Baked
Description
Two ingredients are all you need for this simple side dish! Skip the thick-cut bacon and opt for thinner slices here – that allows it to crisp up without overcooking the asparagus.
Ingredients
- ~1 lb asparagus
- ~12 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If necessary, trim the butt ends of the asparagus stalks.
- Wrap bacon around bundles of 3 or 4 asparagus stalks, spiraling up the bundles to cover as much of the asparagus as possible. How many stalks you have per bundle will depend on how thick the stalks are and your personal preference. The asparagus pictured were pretty thin, so I used 4 per bundle; in the summer, they tend to be thicker in my region, so I’ll only use 3 per bundle.
- Once wrapped, place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Put in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until bacon is cooked through and the tips of the asparagus stalks are crisped but not burned.
Keywords: asparagus, paleo, keto, low carb, Whole30
