Your guests will be so impressed when you serve them these beautiful and delicious bacon wrapped green beans. Skip the green bean casserole this year for Thanksgiving and serve green bean bundles instead!
I’m of the opinion that everything is always better with bacon, especially in savory dishes like bacon ranch chicken foil packets. These bacon wrapped green bean bundles are no exception, and they’re PERFECT for Thanksgiving! Everyone will think you spent hours on them, when they’re really actually quite simple to make with a few little tips and tricks.
How to make green bean bundles
Let’s talk about the green beans first. Not all green beans are created equal. I highly recommend using thin green beans, or the smaller French green beans (also known as haricot vert). I’ve used the French green beans in these photos. Many stores carry french green beans, but they’re typically not in the bulk bins like standard green beans. You’ll find french green beans pre-packaged in bags in the produce section, often near the bagged baby carrots, broccoli etc. French green beans are readily available and inexpensive at Trader Joe’s, but I have seen them at other larger chain supermarkets too. If you can’t find the French beans, just use small thin standard green beans, it’ll be just as delicious!
I have two key tips for making sure your green bean bundles come out perfect every time. The first tip is to blanch the green beans, then submerge them in ice water to set their color. This will help prevent them from losing their bright green color in the oven. The next tip is to par cook your bacon. You want the bacon to still be soft and pliable, so don’t overdo it here or it won’t wrap easily around the beans. You’ll want to secure the bacon around the green beans with a toothpick. You can remove the toothpick prior to serving, but just be aware that these green bean bundles tend to be on the more fragile side, simply because you’ve got a small strip of meat holding 8-10 green beans in place. So handle the final product with care! These green bean bundles will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table this year, such a fun alternative to the traditional green bean casserole!
More holiday side dishes
Bacon Ranch Green Beans Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Cranberry Jello Salad Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
