Vegan Green Bean and Bacon Bundles
A simple but elegant side dish made with savory roasted green beans, crisp vegan bacon, and a touch of sweet cranberry sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans trimmed
- 1.5 - 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp garlic granules or garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 8 slices vegan bacon
You will also need
- chilled cranberry sauce for serving optional but delicious!
- ice optional, see instructions below
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. Fill a large mixing bowl half way up with ice and water to create an ice bath. Set aside.
- Wash and trim the ends of the green beans. Then steam for one to two minutes, or until the beans turn bright green. Immediately remove from the heat and place the green beans in the bowl of ice water (or rinse thoroughly with very cold water until completely cool if you don't have ice water) Tip: This technique is called blanching. It means we're not trying to fully cook the green beans at this point, we're just getting them started so that they cook perfectly in the oven later on. Pre-steaming really improves the final texture and makes them a lot more delicious, so just steam lightly and then stop the cooking with ice water. Drain well and set aside.
- Next warm a large frying pan over medium/high heat and add the vegan bacon. Allow the bacon to cook for 1-2 minutes or until the edges begin to crisp slightly. Again, this is giving the bacon a head start but don't cook it all the way through. We still want it to be pliable enough to roll around the green beans. Set aside to cool.
Assemble
- In a large bowl, add the green beans, olive oil, salt, nutmeg, garlic granules, and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly, then lay one slice on bacon on a cutting board and place 5-6 green beans on top. Roll the bacon tightly around the center of the green beans to create a bundle and place the bundles fold side down on the cookie sheet.
Bake
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the green beans are cooked through and the bacon is crisp. Serve warm with a cranberry sauce on top or on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
Depending on what kind of vegan bacon you use, you may not need to crisp it up in the frying bacon before baking. It all depends on how crispy you like you bacon to be :)
The cranberry sauce is optional, but I love the way the bright, sweet, and tart flavors compliment the savory roasted green beans and smokey bacon.