Steve and I were not planning much for Easter Sunday, given that both of our sons are in industries that almost always require that they work holidays. At the eleventh hour, however, we learned that both boys’ work schedules would allow them to come for lunch, so I needed to come up with something fast. I settled on rotisserie chicken for the protein. And because asparagus is now in season, I selected a beautiful bunch at the store for a side dish.
I usually ask Steve to grill our asparagus. But since Sam’s window before having to leave for work was so tight, I didn’t want Steve to miss any time with him. For that reason, I decided to do something different with the asparagus this time. My thoughts were to do something quick and easy, but with a lot of flavor. That’s how this skillet asparagus with bacon came about.
Gorgeous, fresh asparagus. Crunchy bacon. Buttery garlic and onion. This dish was received so well, I thought I would share it. So, here it is.
Making skillet asparagus with bacon
Yeah, I know. A healthy fresh veggie may seem a little less healthy with butter and bacon. But goodness, they sure contribute towards making it delicious!
I started by browning the bacon ribbons just enough to render a nice bit of the fat and get a little bit of color. Because I planned to transfer the skillet to the oven, I didn’t want them to get too crispy.
Once the color was right, I used a large spoon while tilting the pan to remove most of the bacon fat.
Then I add the asparagus along with the salt and pepper. I tossed the asparagus around to distribute the seasoning and to lightly coat it in the little bit of bacon grease still in the pan.
Meanwhile, I melted some butter, to which I added the diced onion and garlic.
Then I spooned the butter, garlic and onion mixture over the asparagus.
I transferred the skillet to a rack in the top third of the oven pre-heated to 400° F. That’s a pretty hot oven, and truly fresh asparagus stalks don’t need too much time to fully cook. I slightly over-cooked them for our Easter Sunday lunch. So, I reduced the oven time when making them today. About 6-8 minutes should do it, depending on how thick the stalks are.
Then I turned the broiler on for 2- 3 minutes for some nice roasting color.
And that’s all there is! In less than 15 minutes, you get this beautiful helping of deliciousness!
See what I mean about the bacon? A 400° F oven crisped those little bits of goodness right up!
Enjoy the asparagus while it lasts. It’s so amazing when fresh! Add a little bacon, butter, onion, and garlic, and I know you’ll just love this skillet asparagus with bacon as much as we did.
Skillet Asparagus with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus tough stem bottoms removed
- 4 slices low-sodium bacon cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 large garlic diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Place one rack in the top third of the oven and pre-heat oven to 400° F.
- In a cast iron skillet, over medium heat, lightly brown the bacon, rendering a good amount of the fat.
- Do not brown the bacon too much or it may overcook when the skillet is transferred to the oven.
- Turn off the burner.
- Using a large spoon, tilt the skillet and remove a large amount of the bacon fat.
- Add the asparagus stalks to the bacon, season with salt and pepper, and toss the asparagus to coat in the little remaining bacon grease.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small sauce pan.
- Add the onion and garlic to the melted butter and mix well.
- Spoon the buttered onion and garlic over the asparagus to cover, but do not stir it in.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook the asparagus for 6-8 minutes or to desired tenderness.
- Turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to obtain some good roasting color.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
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