Chopped Asparagus Salad Recipe

Many people are set in their ways when it comes to preparing vegetables. They bake potatoes, eat carrots raw, and they serve asparagus in long spears. But there's another way to eat asparagus — chopped into small pieces, blanched, and used in salads. Blanching gives you a tender yet crisp texture and brightens the vibrant green color of asparagus. Since asparagus is full of health benefits, adding it to salads is a great way to consume more.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for chopped asparagus salad and says, "This delicious salad screams fresh and can be a light dinner with a bowl of soup or a satisfying side dish. It only takes 10 minutes to make and you can make a new version of it every week with various produce items that you have in your fridge." We have a feeling that this colorful asparagus salad just might become a dinnertime go-to in your household.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up a bunch of asparagus, carrots, an English cucumber, radishes, grape tomatoes, red onion, and lemon. "When buying a bunch of asparagus, look for crisp stalks with tightly closed tips. I prefer to buy asparagus when it's displayed standing upright in fresh water," Hahn shares.

Then grab some jarred roasted red peppers, canned chickpeas, and feta cheese. You'll want to check your condiment cabinet for olive oil, champagne vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Bring a pot of water to boil and drop in the chopped asparagus for 1 minute.

Drain the asparagus and place in a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes.

Drain the asparagus in a colander.

In a small bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

In a large bowl combine the blanched asparagus, carrot, cucumber, radishes, roasted red pepper, tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, and feta cheese.

Toss with dressing and serve.

The beauty of this salad is the versatility of what veggies you put in. Other vegetables that work in this salad are bell peppers, corn, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cooked beets, chopped avocado, and sugar snap peas. If you want to swap out the red onion, shallots or scallions make a nice substitution, and if an English cucumber is hard to come by, a regular cucumber or a couple of small Persian cucumbers will work fine.

Incorporate fresh herbs to enhance the salad's freshness and aroma. Chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, or basil work well with asparagus. Toasted nuts and seeds provide a satisfying crunch. Try adding slivered almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.

Make the salad more substantial by adding cooked quinoa, farro, chickpeas, or lentils. These ingredients add texture and make the salad more filling. We've used feta cheese here but goat cheese, or blue cheese will be a nice swap. To make this recipe vegan either omit the feta cheese or use a dairy-free version.

The chopped asparagus salad can be a meal on its own and some crackers or crusty bread complete the meal. Soup and salad is always a good combination. Try the salad with a warm bowl of soup like tomato, red pepper, or vegetable. The soup will add some heartiness to the meal.

If you're in the mood for a protein entree, grilled chicken, baked fish, seared steak, or sauteed prawns all will work with the salad. For a vegan meal, try adding air-fryer tofu cubes or barbecued tempeh. Roasted or grilled cauliflower steaks seasoned with herbs and spices can offer a hearty and flavorful component to complement the salad.

Any sort of warm pasta will work wonderfully with this salad. Try a spaghetti Bolognese, fettuccine lfredo, penne alla vodka, lasagna, ravioli, linguine with clam sauce, or spaghetti carbonara. Or just a simple plate of pasta with marinara will fit the bill.