Asparagus, Pancetta and Puff Pastry Bundles
I love these little bundles of springtime— asparagus, pancetta, and parmesan cheese wrapped in flaky puff pastry.
You guys know I have a sweet tooth that operates in overdrive, but sometimes I’ve just got to have something savory. And we’re approaching the time of year when fresh produce is so abundant and beautiful that my daydreams about fruit and vegetables rival those of cookies and cakes.
I know, who am I?
The other day I dreamed up this little appetizer to use up all of the asparagus in my fridge, combining it with ham, puff pastry and cheese, and couldn’t wait to make it a reality.
These asparagus, pancetta and puff pastry bundles are super simple. Nothing complicated here. All you need is store-bought frozen puff pastry, fresh asparagus, pancetta, parmesan cheese, and a little olive oil. Feel free to use bacon or even thin deli ham in place of the pancetta if you’d like. And if you’ve got a different cheese in the fridge you’d rather use up, be my guest. Simplicity is the name of the game, and with recipe you almost can’t go wrong.
I can imagine that (if you can hold off making them until then) these bundles would be a perfect appetizer or side dish for Easter, and other special events too!
baking tip:Choosing the Right Store-bought Puff Pastry
There are two main brands of store-bought puff pastry available in the United States: DuFour and Pepperidge Farm. DuFour can typically be found in specialty food stores for more than double the cost of Pepperidge Farm. However, DuFour is made with all butter and has slightly better flavor and texture. Pepperidge Farm is made with shortening, but is significantly cheaper and available at practically any grocery store. While DuFour is the better product, I have used Pepperidge Farm on many occasions with success.
Asparagus, Pancetta and Puff Pastry Bundles
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch asparagus , woody ends removed (about 1/2 lb, 225 grams)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese , grated (30 grams)
- 8 slices pancetta , see Note (2 oz, 56 grams)
- 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed if frozen
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water , for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Out a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a large rectangle about about twice its size. Square off edges and cut into 8 squares or rectangles.
- Toss asparagus in olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- To make the bundles, take a square of puff pastry and brush with egg wash. Place slice of pancetta on top, followed by 3-4 stalks of asparagus (depending on size) and parmesan cheese. Wrap pancetta around asparagus, then wrap with the puff pastry. Make sure the puff pastry overlaps some and press to seal. Brush puff pastry with more egg wash.
- Bake until puff pastry is golden and puffed, about 12 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use can substitute prosciutto, bacon or deli ham for the pancetta, if desired.
This recipe was originally posted March 2014.
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These little bundles look amazingly delicious! Can’t think of anything better to welcome Spring!
xo, Elisa
Annalise,
Love asparagus and pancetta. Great combo. Pinned.
Annamaria
These bundles are great for a nice family dinner. Plus they are super easy.
This is why you are awesome!! Even your savory stuff is kick ass! Love!
Speechless, those puff pastry bundles are just mindblowing.
I would be jumping for joy if these were at our Easter table!
Great photos, too! 🙂
Yesterday I made asparagus wrapped in bacon. Let me tell you, I wish I saw this before I made those! These could not be more adorable with the puff pastry!!
Isn’t the asparagus-bacon combo incredible! And yeah, the puff pastry definitely makes it even better. Hope you get a chance to try it!
I’m looking for a gluten free Easter side. Could you share the asparagus/bacon recipe?
I made these for neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt and everyone LOVED them. So easy and so delicious! Merci!
It sounds like a great recipe for Easter. Can these be prepped before and put in refrig until needed? Or cooked and reheated before brunch.
Can you wrap these the night before? Then bake in the morning?
Hi Jan Lee! I’ve not tried a make-ahead option with these, so I can’t say for sure. But I think that you could prepare them the night before and be okay. I’d prep them and place them in the fridge on the sheet pan you’ll bake them on (covered with plastic wrap), and then just pop them in the oven the next morning.
These look so good, I’m going to make them for Easter! Can you substitute the puffy pastry with crescent roll dough?
Making these for Easter brunch today, they look amazing!
Thank you so much for this reciepe! I made it for my first Easter brunch yesterday everyone was so impressed and I truly enjoyed these they where my favorite part of the whole meal!! Thank you!!!
I made these for Easter brunch yesterday and we all loved them! I used prosciutto instead of pancetta and we gobbled them down. Delicious! Thanks for the inspiration!
Look so yummy! cant wait to make this tonight!
Thank you so much for this reciepe! I made it for my first Easter brunch yesterday everyone was so impressed and I truly enjoyed these they where my favorite part of the whole meal!! Thank you!!!
Thanks so much. It’s always nice to know what we’re discussing is of value.
Look so yummy! cant wait to make this tonight!
I made these for a neighborhood block party with a St. Patrick’s Day/Spring theme. Everybody Loved them! They were absolutely delicious, and just right as an appetizer. I used prosciutto and steamed the asparagus first.
Yay! Glad you liked them. 🙂
I would like to try these for Easter brunch. If I use bacon, do I cook it at all first? Does the asparagus need to be cooked at all first? Judy
Nope and nope! Both will cook all together bundled up. 🙂
Have you ever tried these with green beans instead of asparagus?
I haven’t, but I bet they would also be delicious!
These are so yummy! I made them for a post-Easter brunch and they were a big hit! I used prosciutto instead of pancetta and it was super good!
Thank you, thank you!
Yay! Thanks for the feedback Melissa! So happy to hear you enjoyed them.
You have a very good and nutritious share of western pancake. I really like this dish. I hope you will share more delicious and nutritious dishes.
Does the asparagus cook enough in the 12 minutes they bake in the oven? Do I need to partially steam first?
Yes, they’ll fully cook during the cooking time in the recipe. No need to cook them at all before assembly.
This is good
Annalise,
the parmesan cheese in the igredient list says ‘grated’ but the video and pictures show slices… I am assuming that slices is what you want… you may want to update that!
I am assuming that slices is what you want… you may want to update that!
Look so yummy.
Looks amazing! I’m assuming this is not finger food however.. knife and fork needed?
Oh you can totally eat them with your hands if you want! That’s what I do. But a fork and knife work too. 🙂
Just a quick question. Do we need to precook asparagus alittle first
Nope!
great stuff, thank you for sharing this
I am very impressed with your post because this post is very beneficial for me and provide a new knowledge to me as well as well as to others.
Yummy!! Can these be frozen??
Hmm maybe? But I haven’t tested it so I don’t know for sure.
Very nice, indeed.
Made these with our Christmas dinner. Used prosciutto. Everyone raved about how good they were
I made these for Easter Brunch along with many other dishes. This was everyone’s favorite, hands down big rave reviews!!