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This cheesy, garlicky, roasted asparagus with bacon recipe is such a delicious side dish! Smothered with three different kinds of melted cheese and sprinkled with smoky crumbled bacon, this easy asparagus recipe is perfect for fancy dinners and quick weeknight dinners.
This asparagus bacon recipe is everything I love in a side dish: quick, easy, cheesy, and loaded with crispy bacon. Roasting asparagus in the oven keeps it simple, and adding bacon and melty cheese takes it to the next level. Because let’s be real: bacon and cheese make everything better!
Why I Love This Asparagus Bacon Recipe
- Extra cheesy. I mean, I could have sprinkled over some shredded cheddar and ended there. But when I found a block of Monterey Jack in the fridge, and a tub of feta, I loaded this asparagus up with not one, but THREE kinds of melty cheese.
- Smoky bacon. Rounding out the flavors of this roasted asparagus is a generous sprinkle of smoky, salty bacon. It pairs deliciously with the cheese and earthy veggies.
- Versatile. Asparagus has a delicate, slightly sweet flavor and a tender, crisp texture that makes it super versatile, especially as a side dish. This cheesy, garlicky roasted asparagus with bacon is great as a holiday side, and it’s just as tasty on any given weeknight.
Ingredients You’ll Need
We are working with just five ingredients for this asparagus bacon recipe. I’ve added a few quick notes below, and you can find the full list with amounts further down in the recipe card.
- Asparagus – Look for firm, smooth stalks. You’ll want to wash, dry, and trim your asparagus spears before you start. Trimming asparagus is easy. Just feel around the bottom of the stalk where the woody part becomes tender, and snap it off.
- Olive Oil – For roasting. Any type of cooking oil works here.
- Garlic – I like this with freshly minced garlic, but garlic powder is okay to use.
- Bacon – You can use regular, thick-cut, or Canadian bacon, pretty much anything goes. Even pancetta is a good option.
- Cheese – I use a combination of shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, and crumbled feta to melt over the asparagus. Feel free to change it up with your favorite cheeses!
How to Make This Asparagus Bacon Recipe
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 450˚F and arrange the asparagus spears on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle the minced garlic, salt, and pepper over the top. Toss everything together to coat the asparagus evenly.
- Roast. Pop the asparagus in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, until it’s crisp-tender but still nice and bright.
- Cook the bacon. Meanwhile cook the bacon in a skillet while the asparagus is roasting, until it’s as crispy as you like it. Drain it on a paper towel-lined plate, then crumble it up and set it aside.
- Add cheese. Remove the asparagus from the oven and top it with the shredded cheeses. Put it back in the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Finish and serve. Remove the asparagus from the even, top with the crumbled bacon, serve, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Roasted asparagus is the perfect flavor-loaded vegetable side dish next to an Easter ham, and it’s great next to roast turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving. I also love it because it’s easy to make for weeknight dinners. Serve asparagus as a side to a whole roasted chicken, juicy pork chops, or garlic butter salmon.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store the asparagus in an airtight container and keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. It’s great for reheating, or I’ll turn leftovers into an easy asparagus soup.
- Reheat. Microwave the asparagus, or warm it in the oven under foil until it’s hot again. Feel free to melt over more cheese if you’d like.
More Easy Asparagus Recipes
- Asparagus Phyllo Bundles Recipe
- Grilled Asparagus In Foil
- Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Roasted Asparagus Soup
- Pan Roasted Asparagus Almondine
- Asparagus Mozzarella Cheese Tart
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Asparagus Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus spears, washed, dried, and ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 slices bacon
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper; toss around to combine.
- Roast. Put the baking sheet in the oven and roast the asparagus for about 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Cook the bacon. In the meantime, cook the bacon in a skillet to a desired crispness. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; drain, crumble, and set aside.
- Add cheese. Remove the asparagus from the oven and top it with the cheeses. Place it back in the oven and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Finish and serve. Remove the asparagus from the oven, top it with the crumbled bacon, and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Asparagus: Look for asparagus with firm, smooth stalks. Avoid asparagus with wilted or yellowing tips or woody or wrinkled stalks.
- Trim the ends: Asparagus has a tough and fibrous woody end. To remove it, hold the asparagus spear by the ends and gently bend it until it snaps. The asparagus will naturally break where the woody part ends and the tender part begins. Discard the woody ends.
- Bacon options: I use thick-cut bacon, but any kind will work, including Canadian bacon.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
yum! what a great way to jazz up some roasted asparagus!
I was in Chicago for the weekend…oh, boy, was it COLD and WET! Yikes. So I certainly understand it wasn’t grilling weather. But your asparagus still looks fabulous…I love it roasted and I’m glad to have a new recipe to try 🙂
Mmm, feta makes everything better ! And bacon too ! So double, or better yet, triple deliciousness !
Hi Kate, my award from last week is back on! Please come and check it out: http://cookingitalianinthemidwest.blogspot.com/2011/05/roasted-tomato-pasta.html
Hopefully blogger won’t crash this time!
I’m with you on the feta and bacon, but I’m still trying to get myself to like asparagus. Seriously, I like almost all veggies, but there’s just something about the texture of asparagus that I just don’t love yet. It looks really good, though! And so do your hostas. Our hostas look like little babies compared to yours – maybe next summer mine will grow up!
I love this! I’d use veggie bacon of course 😀 … but the soft feta, crunchy-roasted asparagus and salty bacon? Um, yes please!
I’ve never seen asparagus look so good. Nor have I ever seen a grill that looks like R2D2. It kind of makes you feel sorry for him being out in the cold 🙁
Oh my goodness does this look good. Asparagus is such a wonderful part of spring and summer, and you can never go wrong with bacon and cheese. Thank you for this recipe!
Darn spring and her fickle-ness! We have asparagus coming out of our ears and lots of rain so this recipe is perfect! Also, your grill totally looks like r2d2, just so you know.
This recipe might get my kids to eat asparagus 🙂 I don’t eat meat but I could certainly devour the rest…looks fantastic! Sorry about your grilling plans, but looks like it turned out beautifully 🙂