Shaved asparagus with bacon vinaigrette is a hearty side dish made with tender, crisp asparagus sections and a warm bacon dressing. It’s a different, delicious way to use this spring seasonal vegetable.
Spring has officially sprung, and I’m using that fact as justification for the upcoming boost in my asparagus consumption. Not that I need any coaxing to eat asparagus with how simple it is to make on the stovetop or enjoy in a savory breakfast, but after trying it raw in this shaved asparagus with bacon vinaigrette recipe, I’m hooked even more on its versatility. Thinly-shaved (really – peeled using a vegetable peeler) asparagus lets its bright, springy flavor shine through and yields a crispness that isn’t stringy or too-chewy at all.
And this bacon vinaigrette? Seriously, seriously good. A warm dressing over raw greens seems a bit unusual, but when bacon, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and friends are involved, it just works. I cooked up the bacon in a skillet so I could easily get my hands on the drippings, of which a portion are used to cook the onion and garlic and make their way into the vinaigrette. Talk about tasty efficiency. 😉
Technically a vinaigrette consists of a 3:1 ratio of oil to vinegar, so I’m being a little loosey goosey with the term. I’ve bumped up the ratio to 2:1 oil to vinegar because I wanted the strong flavor of balsamic vinegar to be present. This bacon vinaigrette totally transforms the idea of eating raw vegetables with a meal and takes it over the top with its rich flavor. The recipe as written below yields about 5 oz of the vinaigrette, which covered four fairly-large side dish servings. That comes out to about one slice of bacon per serving – not too shabby for this substantial springtime side dish.
Recipe notes:
- You’ll want to buy a bunch of asparagus with the thickest stalks as you can find. This will give you wider “shavings” and cut down on the number of stalks you have to peel. The stalks I had for the batch in these pictures weren’t very thick (figures), but next time I’ll seek out thicker ones.
- Adding a half-teaspoon of hot sauce didn’t bring much heat, but provided flavor. Add more if you’re looking for spiciness.
- I kept things simple here and topped the shaved asparagus with bacon vinaigrette and pine nuts. Feel free to add Parmesan cheese or any other toppings to make this dish yours.
Shaved asparagus with bacon vinaigrette is a hearty side dish made with tender, crisp asparagus sections and a warm bacon dressing. It’s a different, delicious way to use this spring seasonal vegetable.
- 1 lb asparagus
- 4 slices of bacon
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce, more to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pine nuts for serving (optional)
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Rinse and shave asparagus using a vegetable peeler. See note below on shaving tips.
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Place four strips of bacon next to one another in a skillet, then place skillet on the stovetop set over low heat. Once the edges of the bacon strips begin to curl, flip strips over and cook on the other side for several minutes, or until browned and beginning to crisp.
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Remove strips from the skillet and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour the drippings into a small bowl. Once the bacon slices have cooled, crumble bacon.
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Pour 2 tbsp of the drippings and 1 tbsp of the olive oil into the skillet and set it over medium heat. Once heated, add chopped onion and minced garlic. Move onion and garlic around the skillet and cook until onion is golden, 3-4 minutes.
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Once golden, remove skillet from heat. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and hot sauce and whisk to combine. Add crumbled bacon to the skillet and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place skillet back on the stovetop over low heat for a few minutes to thicken slightly, or to your liking.
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To serve, portion out shaved asparagus and pour warm bacon vinaigrette over top. Sprinkle pine nuts over top, if you like.
To make shaving the asparagus easier, you can place each stalk on the handle of a wooden utensil lengthwise so that it's raised up off the cutting board. Then run your vegetable peeler down the length of the stalk and place the shavings in a bowl.
Bacon vinaigrette adapted from MyRecipes
Sues says
I loveee shaved asparagus and always seem to forget about it. But with bacon vinaigrette?? Once I tried this, I don’t ever be able to forget it again!