Bacon-wrapped asparagus with brown sugar is a Southern-inspired side dish made with just 4 ingredients. Asparagus spears are wrapped in a piece of uncooked bacon, sprinkled with brown sugar, and oven-baked at 400°F for 20-25 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the brown sugar forms an almost candied glaze. This simple recipe adds a sweet and savory side dish to any meal.
Heather's Feelings on Veggies
I'll admit it-I'm picky about my veggies. But asparagus? I'm all in, especially when it's roasted until it's crisp and just a little charred.
And like any good Southern cook, I like to take things a step further - but this is minimal effort but feels fancy! Brown sugar asparagus is smoky, sweet, salty, and the kind of side dish (or appetizer!) that might just convert an asparagus skeptic.
This easy 4-ingredient recipe comes together while the rest of dinner is cooking-think bacon cheddar grits or apple cider skillet pork chops. Let me show you how I make it for my family.
Welcome to My Kitchen, Let's Cook Dinner Together!
⭐️ Heather's Tip ⭐️ My mom taught me that to find where you are supposed to trim your asparagus ends, take one stalk and hold it by the woody end and about the middle. Snap in two. Wherever the spear naturally snaps off is your guide to cut the rest of the bunch. Easy peasy - thanks, mom!
Fun fact - I HATE grocery shopping. So while I was testing this recipe, I got different sizes (thickness) of asparagus sent to me since I didn't personally pick it out. Which was good because I tested different amounts to bunch together. If you get thick stalks, use 4 spears together for 1 piece of bacon. If they are skinny (my personal favorite) then use 6 in a bunch and wrap with 1 piece of bacon.
Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Brown Sugar
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
Bacon-wrapped asparagus with brown sugar is a Southern-inspired side dish made with just 4 ingredients. Asparagus spears are wrapped in a piece of uncooked bacon, sprinkled with brown sugar, and oven-baked at 400°F for 20-25 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the brown sugar forms an almost candied glaze. This simple recipe adds a sweet and savory touch to any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Bunch Asparagus - with the ends trimmed
- 8-10 Slices Bacon*
- 3-4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bundle 4 (or if they are very skinny use 6 spears) asparagus spears together and wrap with 1 whole slice of bacon, making sure not to overlap the bacon on itself. Place on the baking sheet with the bacon ends facing down.
- Sprinkle some of the brown sugar down the middle of each bundle on top of the bacon. Then crack some black pepper on top.
- Place in the oven and take for 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the asparagus is tender.
Notes
- Depending on the thickness of your asparagus will depend on how many spears you can wrap together and how many bundles you will get, as well as how much of the bacon you will use. You will get anywhere from 7-10 bundles from a bunch of asparagus, typically.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bundle
- Calories: 146
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 188 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.7 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 18.5 mg
