Bacon-wrapped inexperienced beans are very conventional in French cooking. It’s a bit dated, however most are actually pleased having fagots de haricots vert au lard, as we are saying in French.
That is the proper facet to serve with any foremost course, fairly sufficient to arrange for a elaborate dinner, but fast and straightforward. You’ll get the wealthy smokiness of bacon with the recent crunch of inexperienced beans, an irresistible taste mixture in each chunk.
You can also make them forward and simply fry the pre-wapped inexperienced beans in a pan.
Some in France would possibly suppose these bundles of inexperienced beans wrapped in smoky bacon are considerably of a dated recipe.
It was certainly very fancy in France within the 80s. I lately realized that this recipe has a robust sympathy capital. Truly, every time it’s on the menu, most French really feel nostalgic, remembering a household meal or a private anecdote.
Inexperienced beans, haricot verts in French
Which inexperienced beans to decide on
Ideally recent inexperienced beans, if you will discover them and have the endurance or time to take away the stems.
In any other case, use frozen inexperienced beans, ideally extra-fine.
I don’t advocate utilizing canned beans, as they’re usually delicate and received’t maintain up as nicely in the course of the second step of this recipe when rolled in bacon and sautéed in a pan, until you already know a good-quality model of tinned beans.

Learn how to prepare dinner inexperienced beans
Inexperienced beans are fairly often served as a facet dish in France. Both cooked in boiling water or in a steamer. In France, we use the approach cuire à l’anglaise, actually, “prepare dinner the English” option to prepare dinner inexperienced beans in water.
Right here is prepare dinner à l’anglaise: Prepare dinner inexperienced beans in a big quantity of boiling salted water, then plunge them into an ice-water bathtub.
Use very chilly water or drop ice cubes in water. It will cease the cooking course of and preserve the colourful inexperienced colour.
- Shall you begin in boiling or chilly water?
- In France, we’ve a approach of remembering if we have to use boiling or chilly water to start out the cooking technique of greens.
- Greens which can be grown within the soil must be positioned in a pot with chilly water, and then you definitely activate the warmth. Do that for carrots, potatoes, leeks, turmeric…
- Greens which can be grown on the surface might be thrown in boiling water. Do that for inexperienced beans as on this recipe, peas, broccoli, squash…
Observe that you simply need to prepare dinner for a couple of minutes, lower than the inexperienced beans’ commonplace cooking time.
Inexperienced beans want to stay a bit agency as they’ll proceed cooking within the pan as soon as rolled in bacon, however nonetheless cooked sufficient (thus, blanching wouldn’t be ample).
Bacon or smoked bacon
It’s as much as you. Select slices of pork stomach, lardon in French, that aren’t too fatty as a result of we wish meat and never an excessive amount of fats.
For my part, smoked bacon provides the much-loved style to those bundles, however in case you want plain bacon, no worries.
You will want skinny slices, lengthy and huge sufficient, as these strips will probably be rolled round inexperienced bean bundles.

Preparation and cooking notes and suggestions
To create the last word bacon-wrapped inexperienced bean dish, comply with these simple steps.
- First, as defined above, precook the inexperienced beans in water or steam them. Be sure you cease cooking when they’re nonetheless a little bit crunchy, as they’ll proceed to prepare dinner with the bacon.
- Then type small bundles of equal size, place this bundle on the finish of a skinny slice of bacon, and roll it up. Trim the ends on each side to make equivalent bundles. That is non-obligatory, after all.
– Don’t discard the ends. Add them to a soup, a blended salad, a casserole…
– This may be made forward. You’ll be able to prepare dinner the beans upfront and pan-fry them on the final minute. - Lastly, soften butter in a frying pan and pan-fry the bundles on all sides. It’s prepared when the bacon is crisp and golden. This step may also be executed within the oven, though the bacon will probably be barely much less crisp. You might also use an air-fryer, however I received’t provide the actual cooking time as I’m unfamiliar with it.
In France we don’t add any honey, soy sauce, sugar… No must glaze as you’ll get a wonderful end with bacon sautéed in butter.
What to serve them with
These little bundles of inexperienced beans go simply as nicely with meat or fish, and even an omelette, as in my pictures.
Nonetheless, make sure to serve them both with meat or fish in sauce or with a gratin or purée in order to not pile on the dry preparations (not like me the day I took the pictures!!) and get a well-balanced dish.
It’s the proper facet to steak or lamb. In France, for Easter, my slow-cooked 7-hour leg of lamb is a should.



Bacon-Wrapped Inexperienced Beans Bundles
A conventional dish in France that is at all times a pleasure to eat but really easy to arrange. From informal to fancy dinner, it is the proper facet to your meat or fish dishes.
Stop sleep
Put together the bundles (see step-by-step pictures).
Fry the bacon-wrapped inexperienced bean bundles
Shares: I depend right here 3 bundles per particular person.
The principle steps:
1- Prepare dinner inexperienced beans till barely crunchy.
2- Create bundles by rolling inexperienced beans in skinny bacon slices.
Bundles might be ready forward.
3- Then pan-fry bundles in butter earlier than serving till bacon is crisp and golden.