Asparagus Salad

This Asparagus Salad combines crisp roasted asparagus, fresh cherry tomatoes, garlicky couscous, and feta cheese with a simple balsamic vinaigrette. It makes the perfect spring salad that’s a hit wherever it’s served!

If you’re making Asparagus Salad for Easter dinner, I’d recommend pairing it with this Grape Salad, Dinner Rolls, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Asparagus Salad

Asparagus Salad is perfect for springtime and an absolute must-have on our Easter dinner table!

It’s simple to make, looks amazing, and is downright delicious. Growing up, my mom made a similar salad to this every year for Easter and everyone always loves it (especially that tasty roasted asparagus!) It gets a strong and delicious flavor with a little bit of sweetness, plus extra yummy tastes from the oil and spices used on it.

When paired with garlicky couscous, salty feta cheese, and fresh cherry tomatoes, there are few salads that can compete!

Let’s talk couscous

One of my favorite things about couscous is how fast it is to prepare. From start to finish it can be ready in 10 minutes or less.

For Asparagus Salad, I use a boxed and seasoned couscous mix for a couple of reasons. First, it’s very fast and convenient, and second, it adds an amazing flavor to the salad without requiring any extra ingredients on your part. Our favorite couscous mix is the one pictured above — a couscous mix that is “Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil” flavored.

That said if you’d prefer not to use a boxed couscous, use plain couscous in its place. There are several different types of couscous, so make sure to get the small (Moroccan) couscous so it cooks up in this short amount of time and mixes into the salad nicely.

Let’s chat roasted asparagus

• When purchasing asparagus at the store, look for straight (not saggy) and plump asparagus spears, avoiding asparagus with dry or split ends. Purchase the freshest possible asparagus and use it within 1-2 days of purchasing. Wetness and slime are signs that asparagus is no longer good.
• Clean and prepare the asparagus by rinsing the asparagus spears under cold water to remove any dirt. Dry the spears by rolling them between two kitchen towels.
• Snap off the ends. The bottom inch (or so) will naturally break off. This breaking point is where the woody part ends and the tender stem begins. This is why it’s best to break with your hands instead of cutting all at once. By cutting all at once you might cut too much of the tender stem off or not enough of it.
• Roast the asparagus on a large sheet pan and toss first in olive oil and seasonings. Roast until perfectly caramelized (more on this in FAQs section below).

Asparagus Salad FAQs

Asparagus Salad Dressing

• Make the dressing 1-2 days before you need it and keep it in a jar. If the dressing splits or gets lumpy, it’s okay—it’s just the olive oil getting solid in the cold. Before you use it, take it out of the fridge for about 20-30 minutes to warm up, then shake it well to mix it again.
• Change the amount of garlic to what you like. There’s garlic in both the couscous and the dressing. If you don’t love garlic, you may want to leave it out of the dressing.
• Pay close attention to the balsamic vinegar. To make the dressing, you need to cook down the vinegar, which is easy. Just pour some balsamic vinegar into a small pot and let it boil until there’s less of it. Since you’re using a little bit of vinegar, it will cook down fast. Make sure to watch it closely so it doesn’t burn.
• Cool the dressing in the fridge before you put it on the salad. Because you heat the balsamic vinegar to make it less, the whole dressing needs to be cold before you use it on the salad.

Asparagus Salad Tips

• Cheese: We love feta, but goat cheese is another delicious topping with these ingredients. If you aren’t a fan of either, a little bit of freshly grated Parmesan would be delicious.
• Add cheese last: This salad is best with the cheese sprinkled on right before serving instead of mixing the cheese and then tossing it into the salad.
• Season to taste: We like this salad more on the salty side, so the asparagus, dressing, and couscous are all seasoned. Plus, feta cheese is naturally salty. If you are watching your salt levels, add salt slowly and to taste.
• Add fresh lemon: The recipe says to put lemon juice on the asparagus, but squeezing more lemon juice over the Asparagus Salad just before you eat it makes it taste really fresh and lively!

More Spring Recipes

• Spring Quinoa Salad with steak
• Easter Dinner all on one sheet pan
• Confetti Bars spring-inspired
• Mango Salad with fresh berries
• Beet Salad with a balsamic-orange dressing

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5 from 5 votes

Asparagus Salad

By Chelsea Lords

Asparagus Salad blends the flavors of crisp roasted asparagus, fresh cherry tomatoes, garlicky couscous, feta cheese, and a light balsamic vinaigrette into the ideal spring salad.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes

Total Time: 47 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Sheet pan 21 x 15-inch
• Small pot

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound asparagus
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 lemon
• ▢ 1 (5.8-ounce) package roasted garlic and olive oil couscous see note 1
• ▢ 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing

• ▢ 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon honey

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 425℉. Juice the lemon using a citrus juicer to get 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Break the woody ends off the asparagus. Toss asparagus, olive oil, salt, and pepper together on a large sheet pan. Space out asparagus on a sheet pan so it has plenty of room to roast; if the pan is crowded, it will steam instead of roast.
• Bake in the oven for 7–15 minutes, cook time depends on the asparagus thickness; thinner stems will cook very quickly. Flip the spears once halfway through cooking. Remove and squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice over the spears. Allow to cool and chop into 2-inch pieces.
• Prepare the packaged couscous according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool (see note 1).
• Pour the balsamic vinegar in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce until the vinegar is halved (about 1-1/2 tablespoons). This happens very quickly once it is boiling, so don't walk away.
• Allow the reduced balsamic to cool slightly, then add to a Mason jar. Add remaining dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake to combine. You may need to stir the dressing to get the honey incorporated. Place in the fridge to chill until ready to dress salad; shake again before topping the salad.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and asparagus to the large bowl with the couscous. Gently toss. Shake the dressing and drizzle it over the salad to taste. Add another squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired. Gently toss again and then top with the crumbled feta cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Enjoy immediately.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: I use a boxed and seasoned couscous mix for this salad. Our favorite couscous mix is made by Near East and is labeled as "Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil" flavored. If you'd prefer not to use a boxed couscous, use about a half cup of plain couscous in its place. There are several different types of couscous, so you want to make sure to get the small (Moroccan) couscous so it cooks up in this short amount of time and integrates into the salad nicely.

Storage: If you don't plan on eating all of the salad, only dress what you will eat, since this salad doesn't sit well with the dressing for an extended time.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 820IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Recipe inspired by my Mom’s Easter side salad which she got from AllRecipes.