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shaved asparagus salad in bowl.
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Asparagus Salad with Lemon Thyme Dressing

Shaved Asparagus Salad is a delicious, fresh spring salad that's full of exciting ingredients. Topped off with a simple lemon vinaigrette!
Course Salad, salad dressing
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 1 3/4 cups servings (total yield: 10 cups)
Calories 259kcal
Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

Dressing

  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
  • ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Salad

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus rinsed in cold water and patted dry with paper towels (see instructions for how to shave)
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • 5 ounces baby arugula rinsed and dried (a salad spinner works great for this)
  • 1 small red onion peeled and thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 1 large avocado diced
  • 1 large lemon zested
  • Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

Dressing

  • Combine lemon juice, thyme, mustard, honey and garlic in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuously whisking the lemon juice mixture.
    Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while making the salad.

Salad

  • Break or cut the woody ends off the asparagus. Place an asparagus spear on a cutting board and shave into thin strips using a vegetable peeler running it lengthwise down the spear. Repeat for all spears and set aside.
  • Add the pine nuts to a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they become fragrant and turn a light golden-brown (takes only a few minutes). Set aside to cool.
  • Place the arugula in a larger serving bowl. Scatter onions on top. Add the prepared asparagus ribbons.
  • Top the salad with the shaved parmesan, diced avocado and toasted pine nuts.
  • Add desired amount of dressing and toss to combine. Top dressed salad with lemon zest and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

Ingredient Notes
Zest the lemon before juicing it. The juice is used for the dressing and the zest to garnish the salad.
Dressing amount: the dressing will yield over 1/2 cup of dressing which is more than will be needed (but plenty if you like a lot of dressing). Save and use any extra dressing on other salads!
Expert Tips
Perking up asparagus. If you find the asparagus isn't rigid when you are ready to peel it place the entire stalk in an ice bath (large bowl of ice water and ice). Let them sit for a few minutes before removing and patting them dry.
Use a sharp vegetable peeler. Any type of peeler can be used to shave asparagus. The most important thing is that it's sharp!
Use extra dressing on other salads! The dressing recipe makes slightly over a half cup of dressing. This will be more than you will need unless you want a very heavy coating of dressing. Any extra dressing can be used on other salads! Also if the dressing separates during storage just whisk before using.
How to Store
We recommend eating this salad as soon as the dressing is added. Leftovers can be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator though it will become soggy once dressing is added.
The simple lemon vinaigrette can be store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1302IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 222mg | Iron: 3mg