This oil-free balsamic asparagus salad is just perfect! Quick + easy + healthy + no fuss! You can customize it with whatever veggies + toppings you love! Spinach or romaine are a good base, then add in sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, even bell peppers or snap peas will work. Top with walnuts or sunflower seeds, slivered almonds are fabulous too if that is your thing! Like fruit? Try strawberries or blueberries or even cubed watermelon, yum!
For this divine Oil-free Balsamic Asparagus salad we start with the most perfect vinaigrette. No oil + packed with flavor. Dressings don’t need oil! You heard me correctly. Neither do pan-fried veggies! Yep, still hearing me correctly! Check out my article here on cooking without oil if you need to find out why and how.
These asparagus don’t stick to the pan. We coat them with just enough balsamic dressing, give them a good stir, and we let them heat through for a few minutes maintaining their vibrant green color and crunch. Pour them over your salad base and there you have it! A perfect salad!
The Balsamic Vinaigrette
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 … while enjoying it and not skimping on dousing it in 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 equal bite-size parts to make them easier to eat in a salad. Heat the dressing first, then add the asparagus and give them a quick saute (like mine below).
The Salad
So many options! Cook your asparagus first. Chill them if you prefer. Then pour them over your choice of veggies, fruits, and toppings. Drizzle on as much dressing as you like. Perfect for meal prep. You can separate your asparagus from the salad and pour them over when ready to eat! I’m telling you …. one of my most favorite and perfect salads. Hope you love it as much as we do!
Oil-Free Balsamic Asparagus Salad
The most perfect salad! Crisp asparagus pan-fried with oil-free balsamic vinaigrette and poured over fresh salad veggies. YUM!
Ingredients
- For the salad:
- 4 cups romaine or spinach blend lettuce
- 2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 2 cup sliced cucumbers
- Asparagus spears washed, trimmed, and chopped into one inch pieces yielding 4 cups total of chopped asparagus
- Additional veggies, fruit, chopped nuts to taste
- For the dressing:
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 spicy brown or dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
- Step 1 Arrange lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers in 4 bowls.
- Step 2 Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well combined.
- Step 3 Heat 1/4 cup of the dressing in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, when it begins to bubble add in the asparagus. Gently stir the mixture until all asparagus are coated with the dressing.
- Step 4 Reduce heat to medium-low and allow asparagus to cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- Step 5 After 3 minutes, turn off the heat, pour the cooked asparagus over the salads.
- Step 6 Add additional dressing to the salad to taste.
- Step 7 Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, additional black pepper, slivered almonds, pepitas, chopped walnuts, or sunflower seeds to your liking. Additional fabulous mix-ins include vegan or dairy feta cheese, sliced strawberries, blueberries, or diced watermelon.
- Step 8 If you prefer your asparagus cold, cook as above and transfer to a glass bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Can also be made ahead of time for meal prep or in advance of serving.
- Step 9 Store leftover dressing in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.
- Step 10 Enjoy!
❤Did you make this Oil-Free Balsamic Asparagus Salad? Love it? Leave a rating + a comment below!
📸I love to see your creations! Follow me on Instagram @myvegetarianfamily and hashtag it #myvegetarianfamily
💌Be sure to subscribe here to my weekly emails for tips and recipes so that you never miss a veggie thing!
