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Looking for a delicious twist on a classic favorite? Instead of green bean casserole, why not try these bacon-wrapped green bean bundles topped with a delicious creamy mushroom sauce and crispy fried onions. It’s all of the flavors of your favorite baked dish with a fun, party-friendly spin!
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This green bean bundles recipe is a delicious, elevated version of my favorite old-school Campbell’s green bean casserole. Instead of canned cream of mushroom soup and canned or frozen green beans, this dish features individual bundles of fresh, roasted green beans wrapped in crispy maple-glazed bacon. Finish off the veggies with an easy homemade cream sauce with fresh mushrooms, fresh herbs, and crispy fried onions!
A platter of green bean bacon bundles would be the perfect addition to your next Sunday supper, a tasty option for a potluck, and a popular dish to share on the buffet at Thanksgiving, “Friendsgiving,” Easter, or Christmas. While they’re easy to prepare, the bacon wrapped green beans look fancy, and (most importantly) taste delicious.
Ingredients for Green Bean Bacon Bundles
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for bacon wrapped green bean bundles. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Bacon: just use regular bacon — not thick-cut — so that it will be nice and crispy by the time the green beans are done.
- Whole green beans: I use about 1 ½ lbs. of fresh green beans, which should yield about 16 bundles. You can scale this recipe to serve as many or as few as necessary.
- Olive oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper: to season the green beans.
- Maple syrup: adds a hint of flavor and sweetness that pairs nicely with the savory, salty bacon. The sugars in the syrup also help the bacon crisp and caramelize in the oven.
- Butter: to sauté the mushrooms.
- Fresh mushrooms: I use a container of sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms, but any variety will work. White button mushrooms are fine, too!
- Garlic and fresh thyme: to season the cream sauce. The thyme gives the sauce a nice earthy flavor, but you can use other herbs if you prefer. Good options include rosemary, basil, parsley, and chives.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the sauce. Do not substitute with a lower-fat alternative, which might curdle or separate when it simmers in the skillet.
- Crispy fried onions: you can use the classic French’s brand, this brand that we also like, or even make your own fried onions strings from scratch.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole Bundles
While they might require multiple steps, these green bean bundles are easy to assemble. I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Partially fry the bacon in a skillet. Cut each strip of bacon in half.
- Blanch the green beans in a pot of water, and then plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Toss the green beans with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Wrap individual bundles of green beans with a short strip of bacon. Place them seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil.
- Brush the bundles with maple syrup.
- Roast the bundles in the oven until the bacon is crisp and the green beans are tender.
- Stir together the mushroom cream sauce.
- Drizzle the mushrooms and sauce over the bacon wrapped green bean bundles.
- Sprinkle with crispy onions and fresh thyme. Serve immediately.
What to Serve with Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
This flavorful side dish goes well with any of these entrees:
- Chicken (like Fried Chicken, Chicken Tenders, Potato Chip Chicken Strips, Pecan-Crusted Chicken, Apricot Chicken, Rosemary Oven Roasted Chicken, Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables)
- Barbecue (like Baby Back Ribs, Beef BBQ, Pulled BBQ Chicken, Pulled Pork, and Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork)
- Pork (like Dutch Oven Pork Roast with Gravy, Pork Sirloin Roast, Pineapple Glazed Ham, Bourbon-Glazed Ham, Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze, Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Pork Schnitzel, Red Beans & Rice, Grilled BBQ Pork Chops, Garlic and Rosemary Baked Pork Tenderloin, Coca-Cola Pork Chops, and Baby Back Ribs)
- Turkey (like Smoked Turkey Breast, Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast, Crock Pot Turkey Tenderloin, and Slow Cooker Turkey Breast)
- Seafood (such as Shrimp and Grits, Bourbon-Glazed Salmon, Cornmeal-Crusted Baked Catfish, Grilled Salmon, Orange Salmon, Crab Cakes, and Shrimp Creole)
- Fried Favorites (such as Fried Chicken, Fried Catfish, Oven-Fried Fish, Fried Oysters, or Fried Shrimp)
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the bacon-wrapped green bean bundles in advance, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours until ready to bake. Wait to brush with maple syrup until right before they go into the oven.
- Storage: The leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- I do not recommend freezing the bacon wrapped green beans, since the vegetables will have a mushy, soggy texture and the cream sauce may separate or break when thawed.
Green Bean Bundles Recipe Variations
- Scale the recipe up to serve a larger group, or cut all of the ingredients in half to feed a smaller family.
- In addition to the thyme, season the green beans and the cream sauce with just about any fresh or dried herbs that you like. Good options include rosemary, basil, chives, and parsley.
- For a shortcut cream sauce, warm a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan over low heat. Thin with milk or cream until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
Tips for the Best Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
- Use regular bacon or center-cut bacon. I do not recommend thick-cut bacon for this recipe, because it will not get crispy enough by the time the green beans are done.
- Do not cook the bacon in the skillet until it’s crispy. You just want it cooked enough so that the fat renders, and you don’t have as much grease on the green bean bundles at the end. You still want the bacon soft and pliable so that it will easily wrap around the green beans.
- Plunge the blanched green beans into an ice bath in order to stop the cooking process and maintain that bright green color.
- Secure individual green bean bundles with toothpicks if the bacon doesn’t want to stay put on its own.
- Use heavy whipping cream for the best flavor and texture in the sauce. Lower-fat alternatives may separate or curdle when simmered.
More Vegetable Sides to Try
Southern Squash Casserole
55 minutes mins
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
35 minutes mins
Easy Broccoli Casserole
30 minutes mins
Green Bean Casserole Bundles with Bacon
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
A delicious, easy, party-friendly twist on classic green bean casserole!
Ingredients
FOR THE GREEN BEAN BUNDLES
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 ½ pounds green beans, trimmed and washed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Garnish: crispy fried onions; additional chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
COOK THE GREEN BEANS
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook bacon in a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat until slightly cooked, but not crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Cut each slice of bacon in half horizontally, so that you have 16 shorter pieces of bacon. Wipe out the skillet; set it aside to use later to make the sauce.
- Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water just until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the beans from the boiling water; transfer directly to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and maintain that bright green color.
- Drain the green beans, and then pat them dry on a dish towel. Place in a bowl, toss with olive oil, and season with garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper.
WRAP THE BUNDLES
- Gather the green beans into 16 equal bundles (about 6-7 green beans in each bundle). Wrap each bundle with one piece of bacon, and secure with a toothpick if necessary. Place the wrapped bundles seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Lightly brush each bundle with maple syrup.
- Roast the green bean bundles for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the beans are tender.
PREPARE THE SAUCE
- When there are about 7 minutes left in the green beans’ cooking time, prepare the mushroom cream sauce. Melt the butter in the large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, thyme, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Spoon the mushrooms and cream sauce over the green bean bundles. Garnish with crispy fried onions and extra thyme, if desired.
Notes
- Use regular bacon or center-cut bacon. I do not recommend thick-cut bacon for this recipe, because it will not get crispy enough by the time the green beans are done.
- Do not cook the bacon in the skillet until it’s crispy. You just want it cooked enough so that the fat renders, and you don’t have as much grease on the green bean bundles at the end. You still want the bacon soft and pliable so that it will easily wrap around the green beans.
- Plunge the blanched green beans into an ice bath in order to stop the cooking process and maintain that bright green color.
- Secure individual green bean bundles with toothpicks if the bacon doesn’t want to stay put on its own.
- Use heavy whipping cream for the best flavor and texture in the sauce. Lower-fat alternatives may separate or curdle when simmered.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bundle with cream sauceCalories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 172mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 484IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
