How do you get non-veggie lovers to eat their greens?? Just add bacon! Or in this case, prosciutto. Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus is kid approved and will make those asparagus-haters think again. This is such a fun side dish to make and serve. I love bringing this dish to family dinners or serving it while hosting. Everyone comments on how gourmet it looks when in reality, it takes just moments to assemble and 6 minutes to cook. Shhhhh…the ease of this recipe is our little secret. You can maintain your super-chef status!
Why Prosciutto and not bacon
Our family follows the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) to manage our daughter’s Crohn’s disease. Sugar and other additives are not allowed on the SCD diet, so many of the bacon options are off limits to us. Sugar free bacon does exist, like Applegate’s No Sugar Uncured Bacon, and is relatively easy to find. Here is why I’ve found prosciutto to be a superior option in this, and many other recipes that call for bacon.
Prosciutto
Made with just pork and salt
Can easily cut into thin strips
Thin and quick cooking= crispy result
Minimal fat (which I typically remove prior to wrapping)
Bacon
Often has many additives
Difficult to cut into thin strips resulting in more bacon than veggie
Too thick to cook quickly resulting in soft, undercooked bacon
Too fatty for this healthy dish!
Benefits of Asparagus
While the kids and others get excited over the prosciutto, here is another one of my little secrets: the asparagus remains the MAIN component of this dish. The salty, umami pork is just there as a finishing touch. Prosciutto is quite salty, so a thin strip goes a long way in providing the seasoning for the dish. Asparagus itself boasts and impressive amount of nutrients. According to Healthline, just half a cup of cooked asparagus (or about 2-3 bundles of Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus) provides:
Only 20 calories
2.2 grams of protein
Vitamin C- 12% of the RDI
Vitamin K- 57% of the RDI
Folate- 34% of the RDI
Potassium- 6% of the RDI
Good source of antioxidants
Easy Steps to Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Step 1: Slice prosciutto into thin strips- usually 3 strips from thicker pieces.
Step 2: Trim “woody” fibrous bottoms off of the asparagus spears.
Step 3: Drizzle trimmed asparagus with just a bit (1/2 Tbsp) of olive oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. DO NOT over season with salt as prosciutto is also salty.
Step 4: Wrap 3-4 asparagus spears with a thin strip of prosciutto. The number of spears in each bundle doesn’t really matter but with thicker the asparagus, fewer will fit in a bundle.
Step 5: Pop in a 400-degree oven for 6-8 minutes, again depending on the thickness of the asparagus and your preferred tenderness.
Quick, easy and delicious! Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus is not only kid approved but will make all of those asparagus-haters think again. I love bringing this dish to family dinners or serving it while hosting. Everyone comments on how gourmet it looks when in reality, it takes just moments to assemble and 6 minutes to cook.
Ingredients
Scale
1 lb raw asparagus
3–4 slices prosciutto
olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Trim off the woody, fibrous ends of the asparagus stalks.
3. Slice the prosciutto longways into 3 thin strips.
4. Toss asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. DO NOT over salt! The prosciutto adds plenty of salt to this dish.
5. Wrap 3-4 stalks of asparagus (depending on the thickness) with a strip of prosciutto.
6. Place wrapped asparagus bundles on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes, until the asparagus reaches your desired tenderness. The length of time in the oven depends also on how thick your asparagus is. We like ours a with a little bite to them, so I bake for about 6 minutes.
