Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

Bacon wrapped asparagus is something that you can serve up to guests (or yourself) and feel good about it. The bitter and distinct, yet delicious, flavors of the asparagus paired with the rich and hearty bacon come together to form a fantastic combination. Pair that with a smooth and thick garlic aioli to top it all off and you have a winner on your hands. I’ve never been much of a fan of asparagus, but cooked right and wrapped in bacon – I will eat it any day!

When I’m lacking fats in a side dish, I love to make an easy sauces that will go well with the dish. In this case, a simple (and I mean really simple) garlic aioli will do the trick! Aioli’s are usually a bit of a pain to make, because you’re essentially making your own mayonnaise, but why not cut down the work and use either pre-made store-bought or homemade mayonnaise? It’s a fast way to get a bunch of flavor (and tons of fat) into your dish. All the while, still complimenting the flavor profiles of everything you took your time to make.

You’ll have half of the garlic aioli left when you finish with this dish, and that can easily be used over salads or as a sauce with a different cut of meat. The reason that you’re left with half is that there should be a reasonable amount of bacon fat and olive oil left in the baking pan when you’re finished cooking the asparagus. If you only use half of the aioli recipe to do this, you’re left with a very fatty and rich tasting sauce – drowning the other flavors out with the flavors of the bacon fat. And while that’s not always a bad thing, that’s not the flavor profile I was aiming for here.

Yields 3 Servings of Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

The Preparation

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus:

• 24 ounces asparagus spears
• 6 ounces bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Simple Garlic Aioli:

• leftover bacon fat and olive oil, from roasting
• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

The Execution

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Get the 1 1/2 lb. of asparagus out and prep it. If needed, cut off the bottom 1 inch of the stalks to allow for a better consistency. The bottoms of asparagus are usually much thicker and harder than the rest of the stalk, meaning that it will be harder when it comes out the oven. My preference is to cut off this part of the stalk (normally a bit lighter in color).

2. Separate the asparagus into bundles. You should end up with 6 bundles with about 11 stalks per bundle. I was using small and thin stalks of asparagus. If you’re using larger asparagus, you may only get 4-5 stalks per bundle.

3. Wrap each bundle in 1 strip of bacon. Hold the tops of the spears of asparagus in your hand, then starting at the bottom wrap the asparagus in bacon. Move your way up until the whole slice of bacon wraps around the asparagus.

4. Transfer the now bacon wrapped asparagus on to a baking sheet wrapped in foil. Drizzle 2 tbsp. Olive Oil over the asparagus then season with salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.

5. Bake the asparagus at 400F for 20-22 minutes, then broil for an additional 2-5 minutes until the bacon is crisped and cooked.

6. Remove asparagus from the oven to let cool slightly.

7. Combine the rendered fats from the baking sheet, 2 tsp. minced garlic, 1 large egg yolk and 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice in a small container.

8. Add the 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 tsp. salt, then mix together until aioli is smooth.

9. Serve up and enjoy!

This makes a total of 3 servings of Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli. Each serving comes out to be 531 calories, 50g fats, 5.5g net carbs, and 12.8g protein.

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

This makes a total of 3 servings of Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli. Each serving comes out to be 531 calories, 50g fats, 5.5g net carbs, and 12.8g protein.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 3 servings

Calories 531 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus:

• 24 ounce asparagus spears
• 6 ounce bacon
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Simple Garlic Aioli:

• leftover bacon fat and olive oil from roasting
• 2 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off the bottoms of the asparagus stalks. These are usually much thicker and harder than the rest of the stalk, and they aren't as nice to eat once they come out of the oven. I generally cut off the part that's lighter in color. The bottom of the stalk is also harder to cut through.
• Separate the asparagus into bundles of approximately equal thickness.
• Wrap each bundle in a strip of bacon: Holding the tops of the spears, wrap the bundles in bacon starting at the bottom, twisting until the entire slice is wrapped around.
• Transfer the bacon-wrapped asparagus onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
• Bake for 20–22 minutes and then broil for an additional 2–5 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and cooked.
• Remove asparagus from the oven and let cool slightly.
• In a small container, combine the rendered fats from the baking sheet with minced garlic, egg yolk, and lemon juice.
• Add the mayonnaise and salt and mix together until the aioli is smooth.
• Serve the asparagus with aioli on the side (or lathered on top!).

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcalProtein: 12.8gFat: 50g

Keyword dairy-free, pork, simple & easy