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!
For more of my favorite veggie and side dish recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!
If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!
Recipe: Green Bean Bundles
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 hour 40 min
Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette Marinade:
For the Bundles:
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of Creole or other spicy mustard
- 1 tablespoon of dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried tarragon
- 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- 1 pound of fresh green beans, ends trimmed
- 12 slices of bacon, or one slice per bundle
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop beans in. Return to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Beans need to be very tender. Drain, return to the pot, cover with ice and water to stop the cooking process and retain color. Drain green beans, place in a non-reactive bowl, and pour the marinade over beans and toss; set aside for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Meanwhile, precook the bacon enough to render the fat, but not until crisp. Preheat the broiler when ready to cook. Cover a shallow rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bundle beans (I do 6 beans per bundle) and wrap one slice of bacon around the bundle, securing with a toothpick if needed, and reserving any leftover vinaigrette; place bundles on the foil. 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 as desired on both sides. Place bundles on a serving tray and serve as is, or drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top; serve immediately.
Cook's Notes: These can be a little time intensive in prepping, but can be prepared and bundled ahead of time. Allow to come to room temperature before cooking. Can also substitute 2 (15 ounce) cans of whole green beans or an equal amount of frozen green beans and omit the boil and shock process needed with the fresh beans.
Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place beans in a baking pan, and bake for about 30 minutes, turning at least once. Finish under the broiler to crisp bacon, if desired. Serve immediately.
To Grill: Preheat all burners on high, then reduce to medium. Cook over direct heat, turning several times until bacon is cooked through. Serve immediately.
Brown Sugar Sauce: In a heavy skillet, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed, 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (optional), 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour sauce all over the bundles.
Casserole Style: Rather than bundles, these may be prepared in a casserole style. Prepare brown sugar sauce above and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep fresh or frozen green beans as above or substitute 4 (14.5 ounce) cans of whole green beans, drained. Chop and cook bacon in a large deep skillet or pot until fat is rendered but before bacon is crisp. Add green beans and brown sugar sauce, toss to coat, and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for about 35 to 40 minutes. May also prepare green beans with marinade instead of brown sugar sauce, allowing green beans to rest in marinade, before proceeding.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
Requires Adobe Reader - download it free! ©Deep South Dish
☛ Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.
Sweet and Sour Green Beans
Green Beans and Tomatoes
Southern Style Green Beans and New Potatoes
Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, please do not copy and paste to repost or republish elsewhere such as other Facebook pages, blogs, websites, or forums without explicit prior permission. All rights reserved.
Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
120604
.