Fork Weekly
This is the side dish that quietly steals the show at any dinner: smoky, salty bacon wrapped around sweet, tender asparagus, roasted until the edges caramelize.
Two small moves make it great — roast on a wire rack so the bacon crisps all the way around, and finish under the broiler for a couple of minutes if you like it truly crackly.
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Tender, crisp asparagus bundled in bacon and roasted until smoky and caramelized. The perfect side dish to any meat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) asparagus (woody ends trimmed)
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
- (Optional) 1 tsp brown sugar
- (Optional) Squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and set a wire rack over a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and black pepper.
- Gather the asparagus into bundles of 3–4 spears and wrap each with a slice of bacon, tucking the end underneath.
- Arrange the bundles on the rack. If using, sprinkle the bacon with brown sugar for a caramelized glaze.
- Roast 22–26 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the asparagus is tender. Broil for the last 2 minutes for extra-crispy bacon.
Recipe notes & tips
- A wire rack will let the bacon crisp all the way around instead of sitting/bathing in grease.
- Thicker asparagus holds up best! Very thin spears will overcook too fast, before the bacon has time to crisp.
- A crack of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon (or even a tiny teaspoon of white vinegar) at the very end gives it a freshness to keep it from feeling heavy.
168 kcalCalories
8 gProtein
5 gCarbs
13 gFat