Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

Broiled prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears are a quick and delicious Whole30 appetizer, and perfect for any paleo party! It’s an elegant crowd-pleasing holiday potluck staple that can be ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!

A closeup of Broiled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears on a white platter.

Every pork fan loves this simple appetizer because the salty ribbons of prosciutto crisp up like bacon while the sweet asparagus in the middle gets soft and tender. Once you drizzle aged balsamic vinegar on the roasted spears, you’ll end up with a dish that satisfies everyone’s sweet, salty, and tangy cravings. Besides, who doesn’t want veggies and meat bundled all into one morsel that can eaten with your hands?

Tips for the best Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

Use super thinly sliced prosciutto. Thicker cut prosciutto is too salty and won’t crisp properly.
When it comes to asparagus, size matters. The asparagus stalks shouldn’t be super thin because they’ll overcook before the prosciutto gets crispy. In this case, medium thickness is ideal. Make sure all the stalks are all about the same size so the asparagus stalks will cook at the same rate.
Magic Mushroom Powder can be used in place of salt to add a zing of umami to this dish. But don’t be too heavy handed because the prosciutto is already salty.

An overhead shot of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus on a white plate.

What do you serve with prosciutto-wrapped asparagus?

If you’re eating the asparagus as a side dish (as opposed to an appetizer), you can serve it with roast chicken (e.g., Damn Fine Chicken), meatballs (e.g. Tsukune), or a meaty stew (e.g. Instant Pot Magic Short Ribs). You can also serve them at breakfast with a side of creamy scrambled eggs. Leftovers can be diced up and tossed in a frittata or cauliflower fried rice!

Time to make Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus!

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2½ pounds asparagus, washed and dried
½ pound prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, algae oil, or melted ghee
Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Equipment:

All my favorite kitchen tools and equipment are listed here.

Method:

Heat the broiler to high (with the rack 6 inches from the heating element) and grab the asparagus. Place the rubber bands back on the cleaned asparagus, line up the ends and cut off the tough ends (about 2 inches from the bottom).

Trimming the tough ends off of a bunch of asparagus for Whole30 Prosciutto-Wrapped asparagus

Divide the trimmed asparagus evenly on two rimmed baking sheets…

An overhead shot of the trimmed asparagus divided evenly onto two rimmed baking sheets.

…drizzle some avocado oil over the spears, and season conservatively Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt) and pepper.

Cut each slice of prosciutto into 3 thin strips…

A slice of prosciutto is on a wooden cutting board and cut into thirds.

…and wrap one strip around each asparagus spear.

A person is wrapping a thin strip of prosciutto around an asparagus spear.

Arrange all the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus in a single layer on both rimmed baking sheets.

An overhead shot of two rimmed baking sheets filled with prosciutto-wrapped asparagus in a single layer.

Pop one tray under the broiler for ~5-8 minutes, tossing the spears at the halfway point.

Someone placing a rimmed baking sheet of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus under the broiler in the oven.

The asparagus are ready when the prosciutto crisps up and the asparagus is tender. Try one to check if they’re ready! Repeat the process with the second tray.

An overhead shot of a person holding a tray of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.

Drizzle on some aged balsamic vinegar and start noshing!

Someone adding aged balsamic to prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.

[Originally posted: May 18, 2012. Updated: November 4, 2019.]

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!

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