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

• 1 1/2 lb. Asparagus
• 6 slices Bacon
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Red Chili Flakes

Simple Garlic Aioli

• 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 large Egg Yolk
• 2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
• Rendered Bacon Fat & Olive Oil

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 will make 3 servings of Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli. Each serving comes out to 415 Calories, 37.5g Fats, 5.1g Net Carbs, and 10.8g Protein. You will have half of the aoili leftover at the end.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus	Calories	Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Net Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
1 1/2 lb. Asparagus	163	1	27	14	13	15
6 slices Bacon	623	61	0	0	0	16
2 tbsp. Olive Oil	240	28	0	0	0	0
Kosher Salt	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cracked Black Pepper	2	0	0	0	0	0
Red Chili Flakes	2	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	1030	90	27	14	13	31
Per Serving ( /3 )	343.3	30.0	9.0	4.7	4.3	10.3

Simple Garlic Aioli	Calories	Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Net Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
1 tsp. Minced Garlic	10	0	2	0	2	0
1/8 tsp.  Kosher Salt	0	0	0	0	0	0
1/4 cup Mayonnaise	360	40	0	0	0	0
1 large Egg Yolk	55	5	1	0	1	3
2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice	5	0	1.5	0	1.5	0
Totals	430	45	4.5	0	4.5	3
Per Serving ( /6 )	71.7	7.5	0.8	0.0	0.8	0.5
Totals Together	415.0	37.5	9.8	4.7	5.1	10.8

Print

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

This will make 3 servings of Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli. Each serving comes out to 415 Calories, 37.5g Fats, 5.1g Net Carbs, and 10.8g Protein. You will have half of the aoili leftover at the end.

The Preparation

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
• 1 lb. Asparagus
• 6 slices Bacon
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Red Chili Flakes
Simple Garlic Aioli
• 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 large Egg Yolk
• 2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
• Rendered Bacon Fat & Olive Oil

The Execution

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Seperate asparagus into 6 bundles (about 11 stalks per bundle). Cut off bottom 1 inch of asparagus if needed.
3. Wrap each bundle in 1 piece of bacon, starting from the bottom of the stalks and working upward.
4. Transfer asparagus to a foil wrapped baking sheet. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, then broil for additional 2-5 minutes to allow bacon to crisp up.
6. Combine garlic, mayo, egg yolk, rendered fats from the baking pan, salt, and lemon juice.
7. Mix together well until an aoili is smooth.