If you are looking for a fresh, vibrant recipe that celebrates spring produce, this Salad with Asparagus and Peas is the perfect choice!
This salad brings together tender-crisp asparagus, sweet green peas with peppery arugula. This recipe also contains spinach, radishes and red onion. This salad has all the flavors and all the textures and it looks pretty!
Great option for Easter dinner!
You can always tell spring is here when bunches of asparagus start popping up in the grocery stores. Sure, you can find it year round, but the best batches are found in the spring!
This salad is quite easy to make (you can even prep a lot of it ahead of time) but looks so impressive that your guests will never know it.
Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and measurements are found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Asparagus - Fresh asparagus is a must because it's the star of the salad. Medium sized stalks work great because they hold their shape and crispness after blanching.
- Peas - Sweet green peas. If you have trouble finding fresh peas, you can use frozen but be sure to skip the blanching process of the peas and simply defrost them.
- Greens - Arugula and spinach. I like to pair these two together because the spinach balances the peppery arugula wonderfully.
- Radish - I mostly like adding radish to salads for the pretty color but they also add a great crunchy texture.
- Onion - I always use red onion in my salads. If you find red onion is too strong, see my tip in the recipe card on how to cut that down.
- Eggs - I like my eggs more of a soft boil. Simply cook the eggs longer if you prefer them hard boiled. This is totally up to you and your preference.
Variations
I obviously love this asparagus and pea salad as is but here are some things you can add if you want a little something extra.
- Cheese - Add something crumbly like feta or goat cheese. Parmesan would also pair well.
- Nuts - I don't often add nuts to my salads because I'm hyperaware of nut allergies but if that is not a worry for your guests, try toasted almonds or pine nuts.
- Seeds - If you want to avoid nuts but want a salty crunch factor, try sunflower seeds.
- Greens - You can use any mixed greens or leafy lettuces if you don't have arugula or spinach on hand.
Vinaigrette
This salad with asparagus and peas is served with a simple homemade vinaigrette. Preparing a homemade vinaigrette is fairly simple but if you aren't comfortable with it, just grab a bottle of your favorite one.
One of my other favorite dressings is a lemon garlic variation that I serve with my tortellini and artichoke pasta salad.
What to serve with this salad
This spring vegetable salad has enough in it to be a whole lunch entree salad.
This salad also works well as an Easter dish. Whether you are making a brunch with breakfast tarts and apple cider mimosas or more of a traditional glazed ham dinner, this salad pairs with both types of holiday meals!
Printable Recipe Card
Salad with Asparagus and Peas
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup sweet peas fresh is best but frozen can be used *NOTE 1
- 1 ½ cups baby spinach
- 1 ½ cups arugula
- ½ cup radishes thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red onion (*Note 3) thinly sliced
- 4 large eggs
- lemon wedges for serving optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as dill, parsley, or chives, chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed is best
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the eggs
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently add the eggs, lower heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes for softly set yolks. Remove and transfer to an ice bath to cool. Once cooled, peel and set aside. (SEE NOTE 2)4 large eggs
Prep the asparagus and peas
- In the same pot of boiling water, add the asparagus pieces and cook for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp.½ pound fresh asparagus
- Add the peas to the water and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Immediately drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.If using frozen peas, see Note 1 below.1 cup sweet peas
Prepare the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard until combined. Alternatively, you can shake it all together in a jar with a lid. Taste and add salt and pepper as per your taste preference.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad Assembly
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, arugula, prepared asparagus, prepared peas, radishes, and red onion. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.½ pound fresh asparagus, 1 cup sweet peas, 1 ½ cups baby spinach, 1 ½ cups arugula, ½ cup radishes, ¼ cup red onion (*Note 3)
To Serve
- Transfer dressed salad to a large serving platter or alternatively, divide evenly among four plates. Slice the eggs in half and arrange on top of salad. Garnish with desired amount of chopped fresh herbs and lemon wedges on side if desired.
Leave a Reply