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Sauteed Asparagus with Bacon

Here's a 20 minute, 4 ingredient side dish for you: Lemony Sautéed Asparagus with Bacon. This easy chopped asparagus always comes out perfectly crisp-tender, fresh, and flavorful. Serve this as a side for pasta, seafood, or pork.

You can find this and many other asparagus side dishes on my list of spring recipes!

Plate of chopped pan fried asparagus with bacon.

Sauteed asparagus

Most asparagus recipes call for roasting the asparagus, and while I love that, I find that it's so easy to accidentally overcook the asparagus and go from perfect crisp-tender asparagus to mushy green stuff real quick.

This pan-fried / sautéed asparagus recipe is perfect because you can see the asparagus cooking and can turn off the heat at just the right time to retain the wonderful asparagus crispness and maximize its flavor.

Oh, and a little bacon and fresh lemon juice and zest definitely doesn't hurt!

Make sure to check out my other pan-fried veggie side dishes: Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon, and Butternut Squash with Spinach Skillet.

Related recipe: Grilled Asparagus Salad

Plate of chopped sauteed asparagus with bacon

More side dishes with bacon: Bacon & Broccoli in Creamy Garlic Sauce

Healthier asparagus with bacon recipe

Most asparagus and bacon recipes call for wrapping asparagus spears with a whole slice of bacon, and while that is delicious.... that is certainly nowhere near a healthy vegetable side dish.

For this asparagus recipe, I sauté the asparagus in bacon drippings and add lots of crisp crumbled bacon. At the same time, the asparagus-to-bacon ratio is pretty high, making this a great asparagus side dish. It's kind of the same idea I had for my bacon roasted vegetables recipe. Bacon adds a really nice flavor, but vegetables are still the main star.

I recommend using uncured nitrite-free and nitrate-free bacon to keep it a little healthier.

More skillet side dishes to try: Honey Butter Skillet Corn

Bowl of cooked asparagus with bacon and lemon zest

Related recipe: Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Bacon Topping

What to serve with sauteed pan fried asparagus

This lemony asparagus with bacon is perfect side for pasta (such as my pistachio linguine or sheet pan shrimp and vegetable pasta), or seafood (such as the Swai Bake in a White Wine Lemony Garlic Sauce).

Ingredients

  • 1 lb asparagus (try to find crisp asparagus spears that are not stringy/dried at the bottom, and not too thick but not too thin)
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste (use a fresh lemon and zest it first!)
  • Zest of 1 lemon 
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

More asparagus recipes: Creamy Leek & Asparagus Soup

Equipment

More bacony side dishes to try: Parsnip Fries with Bacon

Instructions

Step 1: Wash the asparagus and trim off the ends. (You can save the ends to put into homemade veggie stock!). Chop the asparagus into ~2 inch pieces.

Step 2: Chop the bacon into ½ inch slices.

Step 3: Cook the chopped bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy. Remove the cooked bacon pieces with tongs and place on a plate lined with a paper towel so the extra grease can be absorbed. If there is a LOT of bacon drippings, drain some of the bacon grease into a small heat-proof bowl (i.e. not plastic), or absorb some with a paper towel.

Step 4: Add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease back to the skillet and add the minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute over medium heat. Add the asparagus, a bit of salt and pepper to taste, then turn up the heat to medium-high and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet with a lid for 3 minutes.

Step 5: Add the lemon juice, give everything a good stir, and then cover with a lid again and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked to your liking. Add the bacon bits back in and sprinkle with lemon zest. Stir, remove from heat, and serve warm.

Related recipe: Pulled Pork and Asparagus Pizza

Recipe tips

1. Fresh lemon. I really recommend using a fresh lemon for this recipe instead of bottled lemon juice. This is for two reasons: 1) Fresh squeezed lemon juices tastes so much fresher. 2) A bit of lemon zest adds even more fresh, vibrant flavor to this recipe.

Just make sure you zest your lemon before you squeeze it for juice. A good sharp zester such as this zester and a lemon juicer will come in handy here.

2. Bacon. Why not a few extra pieces of bacon bits, since you're already making a greasy bacony mess? You can store the extra bits in a closed container in the fridge and use it to top a salad or add to another recipe the next day.

3. If you don't have a lid for your skillet: The lid really helps the asparagus cook faster, since it traps all the heat. The faster a vegetable cooks, the more nutrients it retains and the more vibrant and fresh it looks and tastes. The larger the skillet, the more asparagus will get a nice sear instead of crowding the asparagus in the pan. If you don't have a lid for a skillet, you'll just need to cook the asparagus a little longer and keep stirring it.

Plate of chopped sauteed asparagus with pieces of bacon

More side dishes to try: Green Beans with Almonds, Cranberries and Goat Cheese

If you enjoyed this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and/or rating below, and tagging me on instagram with a photo! @babaganoshblog. And don't forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later!

Bowl of chopped pan fried asparagus with bacon bits and lemon zest
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Sauteed Asparagus with Bacon

20 minutes, 4 ingredients, and loads of flavor in this sauteed / pan-fried asparagus side dish with crispy bacon bits.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 1 lb asparagus
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 garlic cloves - minced
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice - to taste
  • salt & pepper - to taste

Instructions

  • Wash the asparagus and trim off the ends. (You can save the ends to put into homemade veggie stock!). Chop the asparagus into ~2 inch pieces. Mince the garlic.
  • Chop the bacon into ½ inch slices.
  • Cook the chopped bacon over medium heat stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy. Use tongs to remove the bacon bits and place the cooked bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel. If there is too much bacon drippings in the pan, drain some of it into a heat-safe bowl or absorb some with a paper towel. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the pan.
  • Add the minced garlic to the hot pan with the bacon drippings. Sauté for 1 minute over medium heat. Add the asparagus, salt and pepper to taste, then turn up the heat to medium-high and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet with a lid for 3 minutes.  
  • Add the lemon juice, give everything a good stir, and then cover with a lid again and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked to your liking.
    Add the bacon back in and sprinkle with lemon zest. Stir well, adjust the flavor with salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve immediately.  

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal (6%) | Protein: 2g (4%) | Fat: 8g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (10%) | Cholesterol: 14mg (5%) | Sodium: 145mg (6%) | Potassium: 43mg (1%) | Vitamin C: 0.5mg (1%) | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg (1%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

 

Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

Wednesday 29th of April 2015

Perfect asparagus dish. Simple ingredients, well prepared.

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