Bright Spring Salad

I'll be making this spring salad recipe all season long! Simple, bright, and delicious, it's the perfect way to showcase the season's best produce.

When the weather warms up in the spring, there’s nothing I crave more than this spring salad. Light, bright, and packed with spring’s best produce, it’s a perfect example of why eating seasonally is so exciting. This spring salad recipe is almost entirely veggies, but because each one is at its snappiest, sweetest, or softest right now, you don’t have to do much to turn them into a tasty dish. Toss them with a zesty dressing, sprinkle on a little cheese, and add a handful of nuts for crunch. With just a few minutes of effort, you’ll have made a spring salad that’s bursting with texture and flavor. It’s so simple and delicious, and I think you’re going to love it.

Spring Salad Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this spring salad recipe:

• Asparagus – I blanch it until it’s crisp-tender but still bright green.
• Peas – Their sweet flavor is delicious in this spring green salad! I almost always use thawed frozen peas, but blanched fresh peas would be equally tasty.
• Radishes – For crunch and a pop of pink! I like to use a mix of watermelon radishes and red radishes, but just one variety would work fine too.
• Feta cheese – It adds delicious tangy flavor.
• Toasted pistachios and roasted chickpeas – They add protein, nutty flavor, and crunch.
• Avocado – A rich and creamy contrast to the crisp veggies and crunchy chickpeas.
• Fresh herbs – Choose one or use a mix! I love to make this spring green salad with a blend of basil, mint, and chives.
• Salad greens – Any tender spring greens would be good. Butterhead and red leaf lettuce, mesclun, and arugula are some of my favorites.
• And a bright, herb-flecked dressing – I toss this zippy mix of lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and basil with the asparagus and peas first. Then, I drizzle more dressing over the entire salad when I assemble it. Yum!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Variations

A good salad recipe is always flexible, and this spring salad is no exception. Here are a few of my favorite ways to change it up:

• Swap the cheese, or skip it. Use soft goat cheese or mini mozzarella balls instead of feta, or skip the cheese to make this asparagus salad vegan.
• Mix up the veggies. Use whatever looks good at the farmers market or grocery store! If you can’t find radishes, shaved kohlrabi or Japanese turnips would be a great substitute. I also like to make this spring pea salad with blanched sugar snaps or green beans instead of the asparagus.
• Try a different nut or seed. Toasted almonds, walnuts, or pepitas would be fantastic.
• Switch the dressing. If you happen to have pesto on hand, it makes a delicious dressing for this spring salad! If your pesto is thick, thin it out with extra olive oil or lemon juice.
• Make a spinach salad. If you can get your hands on tender baby spinach, this asparagus, pea, and radish salad is a perfect way to use it.
• Add an extra pop of pink. Top the salad with a few pickled red onions.

Let me know what variations you try!

Spring Salad Serving Suggestions

Thanks to the chickpeas, feta, and avocado, this spring salad recipe makes a light, satisfying meal on its own. Pair it with a slice of crusty bread, homemade focaccia, or avocado toast to make it heartier, and enjoy it for lunch!

This tasty salad is also one of my favorite spring side dishes. Serve it with a frittata for an easy dinner or brunch, with veggie burgers or portobello mushroom burgers for a spring cookout, or with slices of Margherita pizza for a fun homemade pizza night! It would also be delicious with any of these pasta recipes:

• Tagliatelle with Asparagus and Peas
• Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Easy Pesto Pasta
• Linguine with Lemon and Tomatoes
• Roasted Vegetable Pasta

More Favorite Salad Recipes

If you love this spring salad recipe, try one of these fresh salads next:

• Caesar Salad
• Greek Salad
• Watermelon Salad with Feta
• Cucumber Salad
• Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad
• Best Potato Salad
• Caprese Strawberry Salad
• Or any of these 37 best salad recipes!

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Bright Spring Salad

rate this recipe:

4.98 from 49 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 minute min

Serves 4

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This spring salad recipe is a perfect light meal or side dish. Filled with fresh veggies, herbs, and a zippy vinaigrette, it's simple, bright, and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, tender parts, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
• A few handfuls of salad greens
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ avocado, pitted and diced
• ¼ cup chopped, toasted pistachios
• ½ cup roasted chickpeas
• Fresh herbs, for garnish (basil, mint and/or chives)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Dressing

• ¼ cup fresh basil or a mix of basil and mint
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus ½ teaspoon zest
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as desired
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

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Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the asparagus for about 1 minute, until tender but still bright green. Transfer to the ice water for 1 minute, then drain. Allow the asparagus to dry and transfer it back to the bowl and add the peas.
• Make the dressing: In a food processor, pulse together the herbs, garlic, lemon juice, zest, vinegar, olive oil, and salt.
• Add half of the dressing to the bowl with the asparagus and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Assemble the salad. Arrange the salad greens on a platter, then layer the asparagus/pea mixture, the radishes, feta, avocado, pistachios, chickpeas, and herbs. Drizzle with remaining dressing, season to taste with more salt and pepper, and serve.