These bacon wrapped green bean bundles are the perfect elegant side dish for any meal!
Your guests will be so impressed when you serve them these beautiful and delicious bacon wrapped green beans. Skip the green bean casserole this year for Thanksgiving and serve green bean bundles instead!
I’m of the opinion that everything is always better with bacon, especially in savory dishes like bacon ranch chicken foil packets. These bacon wrapped green bean bundles are no exception, and they’re PERFECT for Thanksgiving! Everyone will think you spent hours on them, when they’re really actually quite simple to make with a few little tips and tricks.
How to make green bean bundles
Let’s talk about the green beans first. Not all green beans are created equal. I highly recommend using thin green beans, or the smaller French green beans (also known as haricot vert). I’ve used the French green beans in these photos. Many stores carry french green beans, but they’re typically not in the bulk bins like standard green beans. You’ll find french green beans pre-packaged in bags in the produce section, often near the bagged baby carrots, broccoli etc. French green beans are readily available and inexpensive at Trader Joe’s, but I have seen them at other larger chain supermarkets too. If you can’t find the French beans, just use small thin standard green beans, it’ll be just as delicious!
I have two key tips for making sure your green bean bundles come out perfect every time. The first tip is to blanch the green beans, then submerge them in ice water to set their color. This will help prevent them from losing their bright green color in the oven. The next tip is to par cook your bacon. You want the bacon to still be soft and pliable, so don’t overdo it here or it won’t wrap easily around the beans. You’ll want to secure the bacon around the green beans with a toothpick. You can remove the toothpick prior to serving, but just be aware that these green bean bundles tend to be on the more fragile side, simply because you’ve got a small strip of meat holding 8-10 green beans in place. So handle the final product with care!
These green bean bundles will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table this year, such a fun alternative to the traditional green bean casserole!
More holiday side dishes
- Bacon Ranch Green Beans
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Green Bean Bundles
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lbs green beans look for thinner green beans or use french green beans (haricot vert)
- 6 slices bacon cut in half, do not use thick cut bacon
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the bacon on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven.
- Trim the ends of the green beans. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Place the green beans in the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and put the green beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Pat the green beans dry. In a small bowl mix together the garlic salt, butter, brown sugar and pepper. Pour the butter mixture over the green beans and toss to coat.
- Wrap 8-10 green beans with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place the green bean bundles on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Can you freeze the leftovers
I don’t think this recipe would be a great candidate for the freezer as you’d have to reheat it for a long time to get the bacon to crisp back up which would overcook the beans.
I made these for Thanksgiving and my family still talks about them. I’d like to make again for Easter but I have to travel quite a distance. Was wondering if I did everything ahead of time but the baking if that would work? They don’t take long to cook and I could do that once I get where I’m going, right?
Yes that will be fine!
I’d like to make this for Easter. I’m going to be cooking at home and transferring it about an hour away..do you have any recommendations on reheating when it’s time to eat? Thank you! Can’t wait to try!
I’d put them back in the oven at 400 for 8-10 minutes!
Do I put the bacon on tinfoil and spray with cooking spray before I put the bacon in oven for 7 minutes??
Yes that’s fine!
These are fabulous. Made them first time for a group of neighbors. Big hit. Only left with a couple for myself. LOL
Making them again for just a small dinner party. I will get my share of them. So very elegant presentation. Thanks so much for this recipe.
OGM this was amazingly delicious. Super fancy looking but so easy. Made it for Thanksgiving dinner. Definitely making it again.
Have you ever used frozen green beans? I have tons and thought I could use those if they would work!
I have not but I think if you thawed them it would work!
I use frozen beans and all is delicious!!
Did you still boil the frozen green beans?
Can I use Oscar Mayer pre-cooked bacon?
That should be fine you’ll just want to watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn since it’s already cooked!
I made these green bean bundles for a family meal and everyone loved them! I will use this recipe again and again, I’m sure! It’s delicious (;-)
Hello – did you use light or dark brown sugar? Or does it not matter?
I use just the regular box of brown sugar:) it works great with the French style green beans:)
Made these at an event for 90 people and EVERYONE loved them@
Can I use a brown sugar substitute such as Swerve and have a similar outcome? Dad is on a sugar and gluten free diet. Thank you in advance for reply.
Yes that should be fine!
I am going to a dinner party and would love to make these.
How would you reheat them? Would they get too soggy?
Thanks
You can reheat them in a 400 degrees F oven until crispy. The green beans will continue to soften if they’re cooked a second time.
Can you leave out the sugar?
yes that should be fine!
Is it possible to sub out the butter using olive oil or something else? We have a dairy allergy in the family, so I am avoiding milk and butter. Thank you.
Yes it’s fine to use olive oil!
Our son Is highly allergic to dairy also the best replacer is country crock plant butter. There are both sticks and the soft in tubs. Very good the taste is terrific and we use sticks to bake with instead of regular butter. Mashed potatoes , toast, cookies , cakes, even cream puff shells no one seems to notice unless we tell them. Great for recipes that call for garlic butter , we melt the butter grate garlic and add chopped fresh parsley after mixing we scoop balls and place on Saran wrap for future like 3 scoops wrap lightly and place all bundles into on ziplock bag and freeze easy to grab whenever may need. Hope this tip is helpful 😃
The bacon seems to be double the amount. If you cut bacon in half do you put 1/2 slice or a full slice around the beans?
This recipe makes 12 bundles, a serving is 2 bundles. It’s 1/2 slice per bundle.
The bacon makes these taste amazing!
So deliscous! Little longer in the oven, I found. Perhaps I had the sheet too low. Very hot middle up.
BIG HIT!!
Add cayenne to butter sauce for a next level sweet and sassy.
I’m wondering how these would be using prosciutto instead of bacon?
I recently discovered your web page and loving it – how far in advance can I make these. Would night before work?
You can assemble them the night before, then bake them right when you’re ready to eat!
Can I make these ahead of time (half cook the bacon, blanch the beans and assemble) and then finish baking at dinner? Would like to try these for Christmas but need to be able to do the heavy lifting early in the day. Thanks!
Yes that’s totally fine!