Looking for a way to mix more vegetables into your holiday meals – or, really, any time of year? Then whip up these bacon bean bundles with your kiddos. From steaming the green beans (in the microwave!) to rolling them in bacon slices (the precooked ones, so no worries about kids being careful with raw meat clean-up), your kids can help. Even better, your kids are more likely to eat their greens if they’ve helped prep the dish. Ready to get rolling?
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. fresh green beans
- 10-12 slices precooked bacon (tip: if using raw, only half-cook so there’s some color/it’s still pliable)
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. melted butter (optional)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Trim hard ends off green beans with a knife or kitchen scissors.
- Place 1/8-cup water in a glass dish, along with green beans, and microwave at medium power for 3 minutes. Sprinkle green beans with salt and pepper.
- Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
- Working one at a time, place 6 green beans together in a bundle. Place the bundle on one end of the bacon and then roll up.
- Roll the remaining green beans in the bacon slices.
- Put the bundles seam side-down on the baking pan. Mix brown sugar and melted butter and spoon evenly on each bacon-bean bundle (optional).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Rotate the pan half way. The bundles are done when the bacon is just crisped.
- Serve warm. (Although my kids eat them cold too.)
Find more kid-friendly recipes for the holidays here.
Photo by Lauren Jeziorski
