This Asparagus Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing is everything you could ask for in a spring salad! Chopped asparagus, fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, red onions and crunchy roasted chickpeas! All of that and it is topped with a healthy white bean dressing that is oil-free and perfectly flavored with lemon + garlic!
Sometimes I create a recipe and I pause to think how I ever came up with putting certain things together. Then I realize I am so happy I did! I seriously threw a bunch of my favorites together for this salad and they just worked. The dressing too! OMG. For real!
I love salad! I also love healthy! Oil-free salad dressing is the best of both worlds. Salad can be an absolute fat and calorie bomb. One tablespoon of olive oil packs a whopping 14g of fat and 120 calories. Not to mention the processing, pressing, and stripping that goes into making oil out of olives. No thanks. I will skip the 1 or 2 or 3 or even 4 tablespoons of oil that is typically goes into a balsamic vinaigrette recipe. You won’t miss the oil! In fact, you might thank me for showing you a way to have your salad and eat it too … and you don’t have to skimp on the dressing 😊.
Need more healthy salad dressing ideas? Check out my article right here.
The Asparagus
First, pick fresh asparagus! The stalks need to be bright green + firm with the leaves held tightly against the stalk. I like thinner asparagus because they are tender. If you prefer a chewy asparagus go for the thick ones.
Second, break off the ends. You can use a knife or you can just break the stalks with your hands. There is usually a spot where the asparagus has a little give and wants to break – that’s the spot to snap off. Snapping off these ends ensures that the tougher, drier ends of the asparagus stalks that don’t taste as tender and delicious as the rest.
The third step for this salad is to cut each stalk into 3 or 4 equal bite-size parts to make them easier to eat in a salad.
Tara’s Tips For Perfect Asparagus Salad
with Lemon Garlic Dressing:
- Chop the asparagus and mushrooms first so you can get them in the oven to roast while you work on the chickpeas + dressing.
- No air fryer? No problem! Your options are to toss the chickpeas on the baking sheet with the asparagus + mushrooms. Another alternative is to simply use raw chickpeas. Equally as awesome!
- If you like, you could use a different dressing, but why would you?!?! You will not believe your taste buds when you try this white bean dressing! How could something with such simple ingredients taste so yummy?
- If you are prepping this salad ahead of time, wait to apply your dressing until ready to eat or it will get soggy!
Chopped Asparagus Salad With Lemon Garlic Dressing
This Chopped Asparagus Salad with Lemon Garlic dressing is simply divine! So many colors and textures making this the perfect plant-based, oil-free asparagus recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus, washed, dried, ends cut off, and each stalk cut into thirds (see body of post for tips)
- 2 cups mushrooms (sliced in half)
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup diced or sliced cucumbers
- 1/2 cup sliced red onion
- salt + pepper to taste
- For the dressing:
- One 14 ounce can of white beans (cannellini) - drained + rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup water (plus more as needed)
- For the chickpeas:
- One 14 ounce can (drained + rinsed) or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- salt + pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Step 2 Cut asparagus into thirds according to instructions in body of post.
- Step 3 Spread asparagus + sliced mushrooms out on a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt + black pepper. Option to spray with olive or avocado oil (if you use oil).
- Step 4 Roast in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Step 5 While asparagus + mushrooms roast, chop the tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers, make the dressing, and roast the chickpeas if opting to cook the chickpeas.
- Step 6 For the dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a blender + blend until smooth. Add water as needed until desired consistency is achieved. Set aside until ready to eat.
- Step 7 For the chickpeas: option to use chickpeas uncooked or sprinkle with salt + pepper and air fry for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Alternatively, spread the chickpeas on the baking sheet with the asparagus + mushrooms and allow everything to roast all together for 10 minutes.
- Step 8 Divide all salad ingredients equally into 4 bowls, when chickpeas, asparagus + mushrooms are done, layer them on top of each salad, top with dressing. Enjoy!
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