Bundles of fresh green beans, marinated in a seasoned olive oil vinaigrette, wrapped in bacon and broiled, baked or grilled.
Green Bean Bundles
Just before Thanksgiving last year, Linda, one of our Facebook family members, shared her green bean bundles recipe, using canned, whole green beans. It's a family favorite at her house and during the holidays she often makes somewhere between 9 and 12 cans of beans! I love the bacon wrapped asparagus bundles made with a sweet and spicy brown sugar sauce, so I just knew that I would love her more savory variety too and I've made them multiple times since.
With garden fresh green beans available in July though, I thought it would be a great time to experiment with fresh beans in the bundles. After a bit of recipe testing and a few remakes, I settled on this version. Once you prep them, you can broil, bake or grill them - the finishing method is up to you - but, oh my goodness, is all I can say. These savory little bundles are just wonderful.
How many bundles this makes ultimately depends on how you bundle them. I made 12 bundles of 6 from one pound of fresh green beans, and I would say to plan for about 2 to 3 bundles per person, depending on what else you are serving at the meal. Once you get everything prepped and get your bundling pattern going, they don't really take that much time, but if you're making a bunch of them for a cookout or party, you can do the prep, marinating and bundling all ahead of time.
Here's how to make them.
First, whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade - olive oil, cider vinegar, spicy mustard, sugar and seasonings. Set that aside.
Next, we'll cook the fresh green beans. Unless you like your green beans crispy and raw, don't be tempted to skip this pre-cooking step, because with fresh beans, they will not cook through otherwise. You'll want to trim the ends off, but of course, keep them whole. You can snap them off, but I just line a big handful of them up and use a knife to trim the ends. Thank goodness we no longer have to string them though!
Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop the beans in. Return to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. The beans need to be very tender.
Drain.
Return the beans to the pot, cover with ice and water to stop the cooking process and retain the beautiful green color.
Drain green beans, place in a non-reactive bowl, and pour the marinade over beans; toss well and set aside for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Preheat the broiler when ready to cook. I like to pre-cook the bacon a little - not enough to cook it, but enough to just render off most of the fat. Cook it in the microwave or a skillet, however you like, just don't take them far enough where they become crisp.
Cover a shallow rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set that aside. Bundle beans and wrap one slice of bacon around the bundle.
If you have a rebellious piece of bacon that won't stay put, use toothpicks to secure it, but generally the marinade will help the bacon to stick. Place bundles on the foil and continue rolling. Reserve any leftover vinaigrette.
Sprinkle bundles with salt and pepper.
Place tray under the broiler, with the door ajar, for about 3 to 5 minutes per side, turning at least once, or until bacon is cooked the way that you like it. Place bundles on a serving tray. Serve as is, or drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top. Don't feel like "bundling" you can make these in a casserole form, as "unbundled" green beans. Use either this vinaigrette or the brown sugar sauce. See notes at the bottom of the recipe!
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