Asparagus Salad with Olives, Mint & Lemon -by Gastro Guru

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This Greek-inspired Asparagus Salad recipe is simple, zesty, and vivid! Made with recent spring asparagus, pearl couscous, kalamata olives, pine nuts, feta, lemon zest, and recent mint all tossed in a lemony dressing. Vegan-adaptable.

Greek-inspired Asparagus Salad recipe on an oval platter.

There’s a morning inside you ready to burst open into Gentle.

~Rumi~

This asparagus salad recipe is so springy, tasty, and straightforward! It’s one other well-liked catering recipe we’ve made repeatedly over time and I feel you’ll get pleasure from it. Make it for a particular brunch, dinner, or gathering, or prep it forward for the busy week for mid-week lunches.

With its Greek flavors, it pairs with many Mediterranean dishes and will be served heat—as a tasty facet dish to fish, poultry, or beef—or chilled—as a vibrant and hearty spring salad. In case you are going gluten-free, substitute quinoa or wild rice! Orzo additionally works right here.

Buttercups, crocuses, little blue scillas, and budding syringas are in every single place—all telltale indicators of Spring. The earth is warming up, and oh my, it feels so extremely good. In Spring, every thing appears potential, doesn’t it?

One other positive signal of Spring is asparagus. It’s additionally in every single place and eventually, ultimately, moderately priced. We’ve been shopping for it up by the case for catering, and naturally, the leftovers get to come back dwelling… and I’ve been loving this Asparagus Salad!

Asparagus Salad Elements

Recent Asparagus, trimmed
Pearl Couscous (aka Israeli Couscous) or use orzo, quinoa, freekah, or common cous cous
Kalamata olives ( pitted, sliced)
Feta cheese (elective, or sub vegan feta!)
Toasted pine nuts (elective, sub-slivered almonds)
Recent Herbs: Mint, Italian parsley, elective tarragon or dill, scallions ( or sub pink onion)
Lemon – recent lemon juice and lemon zest.
Recent Garlic
Additional virgin olive oil
Mustard- complete grain or Dijon mustard.
Pink wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper and elective dried mint.

Learn how to Make Asparagus Salad (directions)

Step 1: Cook dinner the couscous in a big pot of boiling water and prep and roast the asparagus.

TIP: If pressed for time, you’ll be able to toss bite-size items of asparagus within the boiling pot of couscous water, proper on the very finish of cooking, for a fast 1-2 minute blanch. Then drain all of it collectively.

Step 3: As soon as the Israeli couscous and asparagus is cooked, simply toss all of the elements collectively in a big bowl with the lemony dressing, olives, recent herbs and feta. Style and regulate salt and lemon. Serve heat or chill till able to serve.

Greek Asparagus Salad with fresh spring asparagus, feta, couscous and kalamata olives.

Serving and Storage

Serve the Asparagus Salad heat on a serving platter, as a tasty facet dish, or chill it for later! If chilling the salad for later, wait so as to add the recent herbs, and you’ll want to style it yet one more time proper earlier than serving. Typically the couscous can take in the dressing, so you could want to regulate salt and lemon, including extra to style.

Asparagus Salad will preserve as much as 4 days within the fridge in an hermetic container.

Extra Spring Salads you’ll love!

Benefit from the asparagus salad and tell us what you suppose within the feedback beneath!

Sylvia

Description

425 F oven. See tip in #3.
Deliver a pot of salted water to boil for couscous, and cook dinner it till al dente.
Trim off the robust woody ends of the asparagus. Minimize remaining into 1-2 inch items. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with a beneficiant pinch of salt, cracked pepper, elective chili flakes, and half of the lemon zest, and toss effectively. Unfold on a parchment-lined sheet pan till tender, about 20-25 minutes. (*TIP: Alternatively, in case you are in a rush, you possibly can skip the oven and blanch the asparagus within the couscous water over the past 2-3 minutes of cooking time.)
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice, vinegar, dijon, dried mint, and garlic . Whisk within the olive oil and a bit at a time, add salt and pepper, combine and put aside.
Assemble: Drain the couscous and place it in a big bowl. Add the asparagus, olives, pine nuts, recent herbs, scallions, and remaining lemon zest and toss. Then add the dressing, simply sufficient to generously coat. Toss within the feta. The quantity of dressing will rely on how a lot asparagus you utilize.
Style and regulate salt and lemon to your liking.
Serve heat, or chill and function a salad.
If serving chilled, style the salad as soon as extra earlier than serving and regulate the salt, lemon, and olive oil yet one more time, because the couscous could take in among the flavorful dressing.