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Make-Ahead Green Bean Bundles with Bacon: A Convenient & Elegant Holiday or Weeknight Side Dish
If you’re seeking a sophisticated yet convenient side dish for your holiday feast or weeknight dinner, this is it. This Make-Ahead Green Bean Bundles with Bacon recipe is a delicious vegetable side dish. Its sweet and savory flavors pair with a variety of other menu items.
Making ahead and freezing the bacon-wrapped green beans saves me time during the holidays. Similarly, keeping a bag of these in my freezer gives me a quick side dish dinner option.
Make-Ahead Options
Here’s how to prep the green beans to save time:
1. Wrap Green Bean Bundles with Bacon and Freeze:
- Take fresh green beans and wrap them in a halved raw bacon strip.
- Type:- any green bean will work — haricot verts are an elegant choice
- Cooked – either blanch the beans or leave them fresh
- Canned – canned green beans if you like, but make sure they are whole and not halved so the bacon will wrap around them
- Secure the bundles with a toothpick.
- Place the bundles on a baking sheet and freeze them.
- Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag for storage until you’re ready to assemble the dish.
2. Preparing Green Bean Bundle Dish in Advance:
- The day before you plan to serve the dish, arrange the green bean bundles in a baking dish.
- Prepare a delectable brown sugar and garlic braising liquid to drizzle over the bundles.
- Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. Quick & Easy Baking:
- On the day you’re ready to enjoy, preheat your oven.
- Uncover the baking dish and bake the green bean bundles until they are tender and the bacon is beautifully caramelized.
- For a conventional oven, set it at 400°F.
- In a convection oven, this takes around 15-20 minutes at 375°F.
The result? The make-ahead aspect allows you to plan and prepare in advance, reducing last-minute cooking stress. They make a splendid side dish for the holidays or a delightful addition to your regular weeknight meals. And these will also reheat quickly in the oven.
Enjoy the Recipe
Make-Ahead Green Bean Bundles with Bacon are perfect for busy times. Pair them with twice-baked potatoes for a simple plant-based meal, roast chicken for something more traditional, or with your turkey dinner.
These are my ideal solution for meal planning without compromising on taste or elegance. Whether it’s a holiday celebration or an everyday dinner, these green bean bundles will be a hit at your table.
Green Bean Bundles with Bacon
These Green Bean Bundles wrapped in bacon and braised in a sweet garlic liquid are easy to prepare in advance. They're perfect for holidays and weeknight dinners alike, and the make-ahead options reduce last-minute cooking stress.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh green beans trimmed
- 1 lb of bacon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 stick butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth bouillon or salted water okay substitutions
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Prepare the Bundles:
- Bundle 8-10 green beans and wrap a half slice of bacon around them.
- Secure with a toothpick.
- (MAKE-AHEAD OPTION) Place the bundles on a baking sheet and freeze until firm; once frozen, remove the toothpick and transfer them to a freezer bag for storage.
Braising Liquid
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, minced garlic, broth and salt.
- Heat over low until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is well combined.
- Remove from heat.
- Arrange the green bean bundles in a 13×9 inch baking dish (if frozen, no need to defrost).
- Drizzle the brown sugar and garlic braising liquid over the bundles.
- (MAKE-AHEAD OPTION for day before) Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
Baking
- Preheat your oven to 375°F for convection or 400°F for a conventional oven.
- Remove the toothpicks from the frozen bundles.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes (20-25 for conventional) or until the green beans are tender and the bacon is golden brown.
- To reheat cooled dish, bake for 10-15 minutes at 350°F.
Notes
- Make-ahead convenience: The freezing step allows you to prepare these bundles in advance. You can also prepare the dish the day before.
- Green Beans: you can use fresh, frozen, or canned green beans in this dish. Fresh/frozen Haricots Verts are our favorite bean choice.
- Bacon: Thick or thin bacon works, but thick bacon will take longer to turn golden brown, so we typically choose a thinner bacon.
- Remove toothpicks before baking/serving: It’s important to remove the toothpicks to avoid accidents while serving.
- Versatile side: These green bean bundles make an elegant side dish for holiday gatherings and can also enhance your regular weeknight dinners. Enjoy!
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