Enjoy the fresh flavors of spring with this vibrant Asparagus Salad! Tender asparagus, sweet peas, crunchy radishes, and creamy goat cheese tossed with a tangy Dijon vinaigrette and topped with toasted hazelnuts and fragrant chives. Perfect as a refreshing side dish or light main course for any springtime gathering. Spring never tasted so good!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: lunch, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: arugula salad, asparagus, spring salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 346kcal
Author: Getty Stewart
Ingredients
1bunch of asparagustough ends trimmed
1cupfresh peas
4-6radishesthinly sliced
4cupsmixed lettuce or baby spinach
1/2cuphazelnutstoasted and roughly chopped
4ozgoat cheesecrumbled
1Tbspchives or dillfresh chopped, for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4cupfavorite salad oil
2tablespoonswhite wine vinegar
1teaspoonDijon mustard
1teaspoonhoney
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined. Set aside.
Prepare the Asparagus and Peas:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus spears for about 2-3 minutes, or until just tender. Immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain and set aside.
Blanching fresh peas is optional. If you wish, blanch them using the same water (but separately) as the asparagus. Blanch for 2 minutes to bring out their vibrant green.
Assembly:
In salad bowl, toss lettuce with radishes, half the asparagus and peas, a little drizzle of oil and a dash of salt and pepper to begin building flavor (the oil is just to let the salt stick to the lettuce).
Drizzle dressing over salad and gently toss to coat evenly.
Arrange remainder asparagus tips on top of the salad. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese, hazelnuts and herbs.
Serve as a refreshing appetizer, lunch or side dish.
Video
Notes
Adding salt and pepper with a little drizzle of oil to the lettuce or base salad is a game changer. It adds much more flavor to the greens. The oil is just to help the salt and pepper stick. Try your favorite finishing salt for extra flavor.Add protein: make it a full meal salad by adding your favorite protein source: roasted meat or poultry, eggs, fish, edamame, halloumi, etc.