BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS SPEARS WITH TOMATOES AND TALEGGIO CHEESE

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Spears with Tomatoes and Taleggio Cheese image

Mike came up with this recipe during the first dinner we cooked together in our brand-new apartment! We were inspired by a similar dish we've had at an Italian restaurant, but used it as a side dish instead of an antipasti plate, and substituted the prosciutto with bacon. The cheese, a relatively mild cow's milk cheese, should be relatively easy to find because of its increasing popularity. Super easy to make, and super tasty!

Provided by MikeAndKim

Categories Side Dish Vegetables Tomatoes

Time 35m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
12 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 slices hardwood smoked bacon
¾ pound Taleggio cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Stir asparagus and grape tomatoes into the garlic and drizzle with lemon juice. Continue to cook and stir until asparagus are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Wrap 3 asparagus spears with 1 slice of bacon. Repeat with remaining asparagus and bacon, making 4 bundles. Arrange wrapped asparagus on a baking sheet.
Scatter cooked grape tomatoes around the wrapped asparagus.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then scatter Taleggio cheese atop asparagus; return baking sheet to the oven.
Continue baking until bacon is crisp, 5 to 7 minutes more.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 428.5 calories, Carbohydrate 5.4 g, Cholesterol 108.6 mg, Fat 33.8 g, Fiber 1.4 g, Protein 26.6 g, SaturatedFat 18.1 g, Sodium 893.4 mg, Sugar 2.2 g