Enjoy the delicious, fresh flavors of asparagus and tomatoes when they come together in Asparagus Tomato Salad--a beautiful and healthy, easy to make side or main dish that features a simple vinaigrette and tangy crumbled feta cheese.
Asparagus Tomato and Feta Salad is incredibly easy to make. Simply blanch the asparagus, let it cool, then mix with the other ingredients. The longer the salad marinates in its simple balsamic vinaigrette, the better it tastes, making it a great prep ahead side.
That's one of the many reasons why we love this asparagus salad recipe. The flavors, colors, and textures are second to none. But the best part?--That just might be the salty and creamy feta cheese, which provides extra texture and tang.
This beautiful and delicious salad pairs well with so many grilled proteins. It's also a great choice for potlucks and picnics since it's served chilled, and it's always on my table at Easter.
Everything's betta with a little feta--don't you agree? See Chickpea Cucumber Feta Salad, English Cucumber Salad, and Creamy Feta Dressing for more feta goodness.
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🥘Ingredients
- fresh asparagus- medium thickness works best; try to use asparagus within 3 days of buying it for best results
- mini tomatoes- we love cherry and grape tomatoes for this
- light balsamic vinaigrette dressing- rather than making it from scratch, I recommend Ken's Steakhouse
- ground mustard & black pepper- additional seasonings for the dressing
- crumbled feta cheese- for a little added protein and tang; feel free to use goat or burrata cheese instead
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Trim the woodsy ends off of the asparagus; then cut the remaining into 1 inch pieces.
- Step 2: Blanch the asparagus and immediately transfer to ice water. Once cooled, drain and transfer asparagus to large bowl; add tomatoes.
- Step 3: Add the seasonings to the balsamic vinaigrette; mix well.
- Step 4: Drizzle the dressing over the veggies and gently toss. Add ⅓ cup of feta to the salad and mix. Reserve the remaining to sprinkle on top of the salad before serving.
Hint: You can enjoy this salad right away, but I find it tastes best after sitting in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This gives a chance for the flavors to meld.
🥣Substitutions
Cheese: Bleu cheese crumbles make an excellent substitute for the feta because bleu cheese pairs well with asparagus. If making for a gathering, I would stick with feta because it's not as strong in taste (not everyone's a bleu cheese fan).
Vegan: Hold the feta or use vegan feta. Ken's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette is vegan because there are no animal byproducts in it (the full fat version uses honey), so the light dressing that's recommended in this recipe is fine to use.
📖Variations
Greek Asparagus Tomato Salad: Add 1 can of drained, rinsed chickpeas and ½ c. sliced black olives. Optional to sprinkle pine nuts on top before serving.
Italian Asparagus Tomato Salad: Instead of feta, use fresh mozzarella pearls or burrata cheese. Add ½ c. sliced red onion.
🍽Equipment
- large pot with lid
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- colander
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- large mixing bowls
- small mixing bowl
- mixing spoons
- slotted spoon (for serving)
🍶Storage
Store Asparagus Tomato Salad in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 3-5 days. Keep in mind that the longer this salad sits, the soggier the asparagus will get!
💭Top tip
The longer asparagus cooks, the less stunning it looks. By only cooking it for a few minutes (blanching), it doesn't lose much green. Shocking it next with the cold ice water bath stops the asparagus from cooking further to help preserve its vibrancy.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite spring dishes to serve with Asparagus Tomato Salad:
📋Recipe
Asparagus Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb fresh asparagus medium thickness, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup small red tomatoes cherry or grape, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup light balsamic vinaigrette Ken's Steakhouse highly recommended
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese divided
Instructions
- Rinse asparagus; pat dry and place on cutting board. Using a chef's knife, trim off the woodsy ends and discard. Then cut the remaining into 1 inch pieces. The tips are used in this salad too, so be sure to include them in your preparation. Set aside.
- Place tomatoes on cutting board. Using a chef's knife, halve the tomatoes. Set aside.
- Set large pot with lid filled with water on stove. Bring water to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly and place the trimmed asparagus pieces in the pot. Blanch the asparagus by cooking it over medium to high heat for only 4 minutes. Do not overcook!!!
- While the asparagus in cooking, fill a medium sized mixing bowl with cold ice water. After 4 minutes of cooking, pour the asparagus into a colander to drain, then immediately transfer to the cold ice water. Leave cooked asparagus in cold water for 1-2 minutes. Then drain asparagus again in colander.
- In a medium mixing bowl, gently toss the drained asparagus and tomatoes together.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the balsamic vinaigrette, dry mustard and pepper. Mix well to avoid clumps. Then drizzle over asparagus and tomatoes and mix well.
- Next, add only ⅓ cup of the crumbled feta and mix.
- Chill. Although it can be enjoyed right away, this salad tastes its best when it sits in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-5 days.
Barbara K. says
We love asparagus and I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy it with dinner. This sounds like a great recipe to try.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Thanks! It's super easy to make.
Liz M.. says
We love salads and this asparagus salad sounds like a winner. I'll be sure to add this to my list and try.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
It's one of our favorites! hope you enjoy.