What’s a girl to do when she is craving asparagus yet it’s too chilly to start the grill and too warm to turn on the oven? Answer: use those bad boys in a salad! I love asparagus. It’s are just so good so many different ways. Asparagus works its way into pastas, pizzas and side dishes regularly, however this amazing veggie is often overlooked when it comes to salads. Not anymore! More over lettuce! This salad will have you replacing your arugula and kale with, you guessed it, asparagus.
Parboil means what?
The trick to this recipe is to parboil the asparagus. For those of you not up on your coking lingo, parboil means partly cook by boiling. In this case, you will cook the asparagus for three to four minutes. Be careful not to over boil them since you want nice and tender asparagus, not soft and mushy. Just let them cook, toss them with the other ingredients and presto…you’ve got yourself a new, interesting and, most importantly, delicious salad. Does it get any better than that?
How do I chill the asparagus?
Once you’ve parboiled your asparagus, you need to chill them. If I’m organized and know I am making this salad for dinner, I prep the asparagus ahead of time so they can cool in the refrigerator. First I run them under cold water which helps the process along. However, sometimes I make my dinner plan about thirty seconds before I start cooking (I know you do too!) and when that happens I stick the asparagus in the freezer and hope that they will be the right temperature by the time the rest of the meal is ready. If they actually freeze (which mine never have time to do), just run them under some lukewarm water.
Can I make substitutions?
As always, you don’t have to follow this recipe exactly. If blue cheese isn’t your thing and you prefer goat or feta, use that. Don’t have tomatoes? How about some diced sweet peppers? Hate walnuts? Almond slivers it is! I find that asparagus really makes a great base for a salad as it goes well with some many different flavors. So great creative and make this recipe your own!
What dressing should I use?
I usually dress this salad with a whole grain mustard vinaigrette. Whole grain mustard has a grainy texture and a full flavor. I always buy the brand Maille which can be found in the condiment section of my local supermarket, but any whole grain variety will do. Not only do I use this type of mustard for salad dressings, but it is also great on sandwiches, sausages and cheeses. It is an item I always have on hand. If you’re not into mustard or you don’t have any, use whatever kind of dressing you fancy—grab your favorite store-bought variety (a creamy blue cheese would be a nice option) or simply toss it with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can even make this salad a few times dressing it differently to see what you like best. The beauty of salads is that if you use the same ingredients, but change up the dressing you can trick your taste buds into thinking you’ve made whole new recipe.
Get salad-ing!!
I hope this recipe will give you a whole new way to work asparagus into your salads. You can serve it alongside this Simple Slow Cooker Chicken or perhaps paired with this Carrot Coconut Ginger Soup. And if you enjoy salads as much as I do, give this Can Can Salad a try; it is a great way to use some of those non-perishable goods taking up precious pantry space. I also love this Broccoli Cabbage Caesar Salad, this Corn Salad, this Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad and this Tomato Avocado Cilantro Salad. As always, let me know how your Asparagus Tomato salad came out by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Asparagus Tomato Salad with Whole Grain Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
Asparagus Tomato Salad
- 1 bunch of asparagus (about 20 spears), ends trimmed and discarded, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes (about three large handfuls) quartered
- ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Old style mustard dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp whole grain mustard (I use Maille Old Style)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender (about 3-4 minutes). Do not overcook; you want tender, not mushy asparagus. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
- Meanwhile prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients together well. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle with dressing and toss lightly.
