Bacon-wrapped inexperienced beans are very conventional in French cooking. It’s a bit dated, however most are actually joyful having fagots de haricots vert au lard, as we are saying in French.
That is the right facet to serve with any principal course, fairly sufficient to organize for a flowery dinner, but fast and simple. You’ll get the wealthy smokiness of bacon with the recent crunch of inexperienced beans, an irresistible taste mixture in each chew.
You can also make them forward and simply fry the pre-wapped inexperienced beans in a pan.
Some in France may assume 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 strong 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 suggest utilizing canned beans, as they’re typically comfortable and received’t maintain up as effectively 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 cook 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 method cuire à l’anglaise, actually, “cook dinner the English” method to cook dinner inexperienced beans in water.
Right here is methods to cook dinner à l’anglaise: Prepare dinner inexperienced beans in a big quantity of boiling salted water, then plunge them into an ice-water tub.
Use very chilly water or drop ice cubes in water. It will cease the cooking course of and maintain the colourful inexperienced shade.
- Shall you begin in boiling or chilly water?
- In France, we have now a approach of remembering if we have to use boiling or chilly water to begin the cooking strategy of greens.
- Greens which are grown within the soil must be positioned in a pot with chilly water, and then you definately activate the warmth. Do that for carrots, potatoes, leeks, turmeric…
- Greens which are grown on the surface will be thrown in boiling water. Do that for inexperienced beans as on this recipe, peas, broccoli, squash…
Be aware that you just wish to cook dinner for a couple of minutes, lower than the inexperienced beans’ normal cooking time.
Inexperienced beans want to stay a bit agency as they are going to 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.
In my view, smoked bacon provides the much-loved style to those bundles, however in the event you favor plain bacon, no worries.
You’ll need skinny slices, lengthy and enormous sufficient, as these strips shall be rolled round inexperienced bean bundles.

Preparation and cooking notes and suggestions
To create the last word bacon-wrapped inexperienced bean dish, observe these easy steps.
- First, as defined above, precook the inexperienced beans in water or steam them. Make sure to cease cooking when they’re nonetheless a bit of crunchy, as they are going to proceed to cook 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 similar 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 may cook 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 accomplished within the oven, though the bacon shall be barely much less crisp. You may additionally 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 have to 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 effectively with meat or fish, and even an omelette, as in my images.
Nevertheless, you’ll want 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 images!!) and get a well-balanced dish.
It’s the right 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 all the time a pleasure to eat but really easy to organize. From informal to fancy dinner, it is the right facet in your meat or fish dishes.
Stop sleep
Put together the bundles (see step-by-step images).
Fry the bacon-wrapped inexperienced bean bundles
Shares: I depend right here 3 bundles per individual.
The primary steps:
1- Prepare dinner inexperienced beans till barely crunchy.
2- Create bundles by rolling inexperienced beans in skinny bacon slices.
Bundles will be ready forward.
3- Then pan-fry bundles in butter earlier than serving till bacon is crisp and golden.