Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with Orange Honey Glaze

Name: Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with Orange Honey Glaze
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 slices of pancetta; 1 bundle of medium asparagus, trimmed (about 36 spears); 1 tablespoon olive oil; salt to taste (start with one teaspoon); ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoon honey; ¼ cup orange juice; ½ teaspoon dried thyme

Jump to Recipe

Asparagus is such a wonderful vegetable. It gets even better when you wrap asparagus in some pork and then cover it with a tasty glaze. Check out this distinct, interesting, and easy Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with Orange Honey Glaze recipe.

Pancetta Wrapped Bacon with a honey stick on a white plate. — This Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus is so wonderful with a touch of honey orange flavor.

🥓 What makes this recipe special?

This is a great side dish and a wonderful way to enjoy pancetta. Not only does it taste great, but it bakes in just 10 minutes and is so easy to put together.

Asparagus is a Spring vegetable and not our first recipe where it is the star. Check out this easy and fresh Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe. Of course, if you are looking for some other great Spring recipes, check out this Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler or this Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce Over Farfalle Pasta.

🍊 Ingredients

Asparagus is the star of this, but don't forget about our special Orange Honey glaze. As you may have guessed, the glaze contains orange and honey, but I also throw in a bit of thyme.

Pancetta is also a unique ingredient in this recipe. Pancetta is Italian meat and is salted and cured pork belly. Much like bacon, but pancetta is not smoked like bacon is and is cured for much longer. Also, unlike bacon, it can be eaten raw or cooked, although it is most often cooked.

Here is a list of the ingredients:

Ingredients for Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus. — Asparagus, pancetta, thyme, olive oil, honey, salt, and orange juice.

Pancetta
Asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper
Honey
Orange juice
Thyme

See the recipe card for quantities.

Asparagus season

A great time to make this recipe is during asparagus season. While you can get this vegetable all year long, peak asparagus season in April and May.

🍲 Instructions

There isn't much to this recipe. First, preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Then, mix up the orange juice, honey, and thyme. Set that aside.

Coat your asparagus spears with a bit of olive oil and salt. Separate out your thin pancetta and wrap 3-4 spears with one slice of pancetta. You should be able to fit 12 bundles on one 9x13" pan.

Process for making Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with an Orange Honey Glaze. — The Orange Honey Glaze is as simple as mixing Orange Juice, honey, and thyme. Wrap the asparagus in small bundles and pour glaze over the wrapped asparagus.

Pour your sauce over the asparagus and bake for 10 minutes. That should be enough time, but if you want your pancetta and/or the asparagus to be crispier, bake it for a few more minutes.

🤷 Substitutions and variations

This recipe does not have a whole lot of room for change, but there are few things you could try.

Bacon - I mean, this recipe calls for pancetta, but bacon would also work great. You might need to bake for a few more minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon.
Grilling - If you can cook on a baking pan in your grill, you should be able to make this same recipe on your grill.
Glaze - This is an orange juice honey glaze. You could substitute other juices or even just omit the glaze. I also call for thyme in the
Orange Zest - Just a bit of orange zest can be a nice garnish.
Rosemary - You can forego the thyme and add some rosemary sprigs to the mix.

📦 Storage

While you could cook this and store in the fridge, I don't think this will store very well. I would try and eat it the day you bake it.

🎓 Asparagus fact tidbit

20 Million pounds of asparagus are produced in America's biggest producer, Michigan.

❓ FAQ

What is the difference between Pancetta and Bacon?

Both are from pork belly and both are cured. Bacon, however, is smoked. Usually, Pancetta is either very thinly cut or cubed and cooked.

What is the difference between Pancetta and Prosciutto?

Prosciutto is a different cut of pork and comes from the hind leg. Also, it is cured for much longer than pancetta.

📝 Tips and tricks

Use fresh asparagus for the best results.
Use medium-sized asparagus
Separate the pancetta carefully, as it is pretty thin and tends to fall apart.

Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with Orange Honey Glaze.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

😋 Did you make this recipe?

Thank you so much for giving it a try and I hope you like it as much as I do. If you liked it, you could do me a favor and leave a review in the comment section below. This helps me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if it is the recipe for them. Most of all, thank you for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.

📖 Recipe