Asparagus Salad: the tasty recipe for a light, healthy spring salad

Spring is asparagus season, and it's the perfect excuse to whip up a delicious asparagus salad. This delicious salad recipe is packed with fresh, crispy vegetables, creamy feta cheese, and melt-in-your-mouth hazelnuts.

Use your favorite salad dressing or vinaigrette to make this easy asparagus and feta salad. Balsamic vinaigrette, avocado dressing, green goddess dressing, or a simple lemon vinaigrette all taste fabulous with asparagus salad.

It's an easy dish to customize. Enjoy asparagus salad as a tasty starter, or toss in some chicken, shrimp, or grilled tofu to make it a main meal.

Asparagus Salad Ingredients

To make this bright, zesty asparagus salad, you'll need fresh asparagus with the wood ends removed, peas, hazelnuts, and feta cheese.

Garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper help flavor the salad, while freshly chopped herbs like mint or basil bring a wonderful herby brightness to it.

Toss the salad in your favorite dressing or vinaigrette.

How to Make Asparagus Salad

To make asparagus feta salad, you'll need to start off by blanching the asparagus. This helps make them tender while keeping their beautiful green color. Boil the asparagus for 1 minute, then dunk them into an ice bath. Leave them for 1 minute, then take the asparagus out and dry it.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper until it's well-combined. Add in the asparagus and peas and toss them well to coat. Add your preferred salad dressing, then garnish with crumbled feta, hazelnuts, radishes, and fresh herbs. Mint and basil are especially taste and help bring an extra springtime flavor to this salad. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Asparagus Feta Salad

Asparagus salad is a fantastic side dish that goes well with all sorts of main meals. Pair it with other seasonal spring fare like pasta primavera, spanakopita, quiche, roasted rack of lamb, grilled salmon, polenta, or chicken pot pie.

Don't forget a side of focaccia, dinner rolls, or some crusty Italian bread so you can mop up the dressing!

Asparagus Salad Variations

Make your asparagus feta salad into a main meal by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, or smoked salmon to it.

Swap the feta out for blue cheese for a stronger flavor.

Try grilling the asparagus instead of blanching it.

You can add other ingredients to your asparagus salad like croutons, cherry tomatoes, olives, boiled new potatoes, or chopped avocado.

Summer vegetables like squash, peppers, and cucumbers also make wonderful additions.

Tips for Making the Best Asparagus Salad

If you don't have ice, you can run the asparagus under cold water to stop it from cooking further. This will ensure it keeps its lovely green color.

You can eat the asparagus raw. However, because it's tough, most people prefer to cook asparagus.

Enjoy your asparagus feta salad warm or cold.

Use any type of fresh herbs you like as a garnish. Mint, basil, dill, and tarragon are all tasty with this salad.

How to Store Asparagus Salad

Keep any leftover asparagus salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy within 3 days.

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Instructions

Boil a pot of salted water. Pour cold water into a large bowl. Add ice, and set aside.

Boil the asparagus for 1 minute, then remove it from the pot and plunge it into the ice bath.

Leave for 1 minute, then drain. Dry the asparagus.

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Add in the asparagus and peas. Toss well to coat.

Add preferred dressing, then garnish with crumbled feta, hazelnuts, radishes, and fresh herbs.

Notes

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.