Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with Orange Honey Glaze

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.

🥓 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:

• 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 9×13″ pan. 

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

📝 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.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

• 9×13″ baking pan
• Tongs
• Citrus Juicer

😋 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. 

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