Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

Green Bean Bundles Wrapped in Bacon - on a white background.

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

These Green Bean Bundles are the ultimate holiday side: fresh green beans wrapped in smoky bacon, brushed with a brown sugar butter glaze, and roasted until caramelized—perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special dinner! You'll love them as much as my other side dishes: lemon garlic parmesan green beans or the green beans with pine nuts.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword green bean bacon bundles, green beans wrapped in bacon

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 119kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

16 oz Fresh French Green Beans washed and ends trimmed
7 slices bacon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh parsley chopped for garnish chopped for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat.
Remove green beans from the stove and drain water. Submerge green beans in a bowl of ice water and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
Drain green beans from ice water and pat dry.
Cut bacon slices in half. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until the slices start to brown (make sure not to overcook the bacon). You may need to cook in batches to keep from overcrowding the bacon in the skillet.
Take green beans and bundle them in 7-8 green bean bundle each. Wrap bacon slices around each bundle of green beans and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, pepper, salt and garlic powder.
Brush each green bean bundle with the butter mixture.
Place sheet pan in the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes or until the green bean bundles are roasted.
Let sit for 5 minutes, then pull out toothpicks.
Place green bean bundles and top with parsley if you wish.

Notes

Use thin-cut bacon. Thick slices won’t render fully before beans overcook; thin bacon crisps and hugs the bundle.
Pre-Cook Bacon Slightly: Partially cook (don’t crisp) the bacon before wrapping, so it crisps up in the oven without overcooking the green beans.
Blanch and Shock the Beans: Don’t skip the ice bath. It locks in gorgeous color and stops cooking, so your bundles aren’t limp.
Dry everything. I pat the beans very dry before wrapping—moisture dilutes the glaze and steams the bacon.
Glaze after wrapping. Brush the brown-sugar butter onto the outside so it caramelizes; inside the wrap it won’t do much.
Don’t overcrowd the pan. Space green bean bundles so hot air circulates; this is the difference between crisp edges and soggy bottoms.
Toothpicks in, toothpicks out. Insert picks along the seam and remove after a 5-minute rest so the bacon sets and stays put.

Storage Instructions

Storage: Keep any leftover bacon green bean bundles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: To reheat, simply place on a baking sheet and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through. This keeps the bacon nice and crisp.
Freezing: Freeze before baking: assemble bundles (with toothpicks), lay them on a tray to freeze solid, then transfer to a bag/container up to 1 month. Bake from frozen at 400°F, adding a few extra minutes.

Nutrition