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 make ahead and refrigerate a day before the last step of baking?
That should be fine!
My christmas dinner was canceled because i contracted covid. I had already done all my shopping so now I have 2 1/2 pounds of green beans. Can I assemble the green bean bundles and freeze them for later or can I just freeze the green beans and thaw them later and make the bundles then.
You could lightly boil the green beans for 3 minutes, then plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process. After that they should freeze just fine. Feel better soon!
What kind of bacon flavor would pair along best with this recipe?
My favorite brands of bacon are niman ranch, true story and open nature!
Best recipe for green bean bundles out there! Have you tried boiling the green beans with a pinch of baking soda to preserve the green color? It works very well! Or is the ice necessary to stop the heat bc of the texture, not just color?
The ice helps to preserve the texture so they don’t overcook. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
The green bean/bacon bundles look delicious. I’m definitely making them for the holidays.
Haven’t cooked these green beans wrapped in bacon. At what temperature do I cook these once they are wrapped and ready to cook?
They are cooked at 400 degrees F per the recipe!
They came out perfectly, much better than in the air fryer. It is worth the extra effort to par boil the beans and start the bacon. I did a practice run today before I make them for dinner guests. I hope they love them. I know they will think they look great.
I can’t wait to try this. I will have so many green beans in a few weeks. Love to try something new.
DO YOU HAVE TO BLANCH THE GREEN BEANS BEFOR ROASTING THEM?
You do not, the blanching just preserves the bright green color better!
Can you make them ahead of time?
You can assemble ahead of time but I would bake right before serving!
I TOTALLY forgot to blanch the green beans before assembly!!! I love this recipe-how do I salvage my Easter dinner? Should I nuke them a bit before putting them in the oven?
Thank you-My whole gfamily loves this recipe-I can’t believe I forgot the first step!
Gina
Yes you can steam them in the microwave!
Thank you for the recipe!! It is so delicious. I always come back to this recipe every couple of months! Everybody should try this.
This sounds and looks great. Can I prepare day before and finish the final bake on the day of servings?
Yes that should be fine!
Looks fabulous. Going to try it in a preheated air fryer. 375 for 8-10 minutes?