This cheesy bacon wrapped asparagus recipe is rich, meaty, and packed with 2 kinds of cheese. It only takes 30 minutes to make the perfect keto side dish.
Cheesy Keto Bacon and Asparagus
It’s not exactly breaking news that I love bacon. Who doesn’t? It’s a perfect food. And as much as I love eating slices of bacon for breakfast, this cheesy bacon wrapped asparagus side dish might be my favorite way to serve it. It’s bacon wrapped around cream cheese, parmesan cheese, some amazing seasonings, and asparagus. What’s not to love?
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s rich and decadent from the cheese and meat, but also fresh and healthy from the veggies. So whatever you’re craving, this bacon and asparagus recipe will probably hit the spot. Plus, it only takes 30 minutes to make, so you can whip it up to accompany any meal.
Why You’ll Love This Bacon Side Dish
Here are a few reasons why I know you’ll go crazy for this keto recipe.
- 30 minutes. I’m a firm believer that side dishes should be quick and easy. No one wants to waste time in the kitchen spending hours on a side. This recipe only takes 30 minutes, and the bulk of that time is spent with the bacon wrapped asparagus in the oven. It’s fast, it doesn’t require much work, and it won’t leave your kitchen a mess!
- Versatile. This is a great side dish for pretty much any meal. Because it has vegetables, cheese, and meat, it goes with everything. No matter what you’re making for dinner, it will be better with a side of bacon and asparagus.
- Restaurant-quality. Cheesy bacon wrapped asparagus sounds like something you would find on the menu at a fancy steakhouse. And that’s exactly what this dish tastes like! Even though it barely takes any work, it’s an upscale side dish that will impress anyone you cook it for.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the 7 ingredients that you’ll need to make this gluten-free bacon side dish. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the specific quantities for the ingredients.
- Asparagus
- Bacon – You’ll need to cut the bacon in half.
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Cream cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese – For best results, grate your own parmesan cheese, but pre-shredded works fine.
- Everything bagel seasoning
How to Make Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
This perfect side dish only takes 30 minutes to make. Here’s how to do it.
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Make the filling. Add the cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and everything bagel seasoning to a bowl, and mix to combine.
- Season the asparagus. Toss the asparagus in the oil, and season with garlic powder.
- Divide. Portion the asparagus into 8 even piles.
- Stretch the bacon. Take each half-slice of bacon and carefully stretch it as far as you can without tearing it.
- Assemble. Put a large spoonful of the filling and a bundle of asparagus on a piece of bacon. Wrap the bacon around the cheese mixture and asparagus, but don’t wrap it too tightly. Place it on a baking sheet, with the seam of the bacon facing down. Repeat with the other 7 pieces.
- Bake. Put the bacon wrapped asparagus in the oven and bake until the veggies are tender and the bacon is crispy. This should take about 20-25 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
Here are some of my favorite tricks to use when making this recipe.
- Snap the asparagus. When cooking asparagus, you always want to trim the stalks. The best way to do this is to lightly fold each asparagus piece from the bottom until it snaps. It will naturally break off where you want to trim the asparagus. This keeps you from having chewy, stringy vegetables.
- Tent the asparagus. If you notice that the asparagus tops are burning in the oven, place a piece of aluminum foil over them. That way you can keep cooking this tasty side dish until the bacon is cooked through, without burning the veggies.
- Save the fat. As the bacon wrapped asparagus cooks, the fat will render and pool on the baking sheet. Take the baking sheet out of the oven occasionally and pour off the excess fat. But don’t throw the fat away! Save it to cook with, because it’s super delicious and tastes just like bacon.
What to Serve it With
As I said, I think this veggie and bacon side dish goes perfectly with almost any entree. But here are a few of my favorite things to serve it alongside.
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Perfect Baked Pork Chops
- Tuna Melt Chaffle Sandwich
- Crockpot Turkey Breast
- One Pan Shrimp Creole
How to Store Leftovers
You can keep leftover bacon wrapped shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat in a 375F oven for 10 minutes, until warm all the way through.
Can You Freeze This Recipe?
This recipe can be frozen, but the texture of the asparagus will suffer a little bit. Keep the bacon wrapped asparagus in an airtight container and it will last in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat straight from the freezer in a 375F oven for 15 minutes.
More Keto Bacon Recipes
If you’re anything like me, then you can’t get enough bacon! Here are some more of my favorite keto bacon recipes that you should try.
- Bacon Egg and Cheese Rolls
- Candied Bacon
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Easy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast
Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound of asparagus trimmed
- 4 slices of thin-cut bacon cut in half
- 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a small bowl, mix up the cream cheese, parmesan, and everything bagel seasoning. Set aside.
- Gently toss the asparagus in the oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Split into 8 piles as evenly as possible.
- One by one, slowly stretch each slice of bacon as long as you can without tearing it. This will help prevent the bacon from shrinking too much, and helps it to cook a bit faster.
- Place a heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture and a bundle of asparagus on a slice of bacon. Wrap, but not too tightly, and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces.
- Cook the bundles 20-25 minutes under asparagus is tender and bacon is crisp. The time needed will depend on the size of your asparagus and how much the bacon is overlapping.
Notes
- If the tops of the asparagus are beginning to burn before the bacon is crispy, cover just the tops with aluminum foil. Make sure to leave the bacon exposed so it can crisp up.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
- Reheat in a 375F oven for 10-15 minutes, until heated all the way through.
