Asparagus Salad with Israeli Couscous, roasted asparagus, kalamata olives, pine nuts, feta, lemon zest, and mint with a lemony dressing. A healthy delicious spring-inspired salad!
A Tip! When trimming asparagus, hold a piece in your hand and break off the bottom end with your fingers. Where ever this naturally breaks, is how much you want to trim off the rest of the asparagus. Sometimes this can be painful because it can be 2 to 3 inches of the stem that doesn’t get used, but those ends will most likely be very woody and chewy.
Roasting asparagus is one of the easiest, tastiest ways to prepare it, second to grilling. Toss the spears with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest and place in a hot oven for 15-30 minutes (depending on how thick the spears are) and when they come out, they will be tender, vibrant, slightly crisp and delicious. Sometimes I’ll drizzle in a little balsamic vinegar as well.
Spring Asparagus Salad with Israeli Cous Cous
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Salad, spring recipes,
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
Spring Asparagus Salad with Israeli Cous Cous, kalamata olives, feta, lemon zest and mint! Gluten – free adaptable!
Ingredients
- 1– 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- —–
- 1 ½ cups dry Israeli Cous Cous (uncooked) or use orzo, quinoa, freekah, or regular cous cous ( about 4 cups cooked)
- ½ Cup kalamata olives ( pitted, sliced)
- ½ Cup feta cheese ( optional)
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts (optional, sub slivered almonds)
- ½ cup dill or Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tarragon (optional)
- 3 scallions, sliced at a diagonal
- Zest from one lemon (divided)
Dressing:
- ⅓ C olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 Tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- 425 F oven.
- Trim the tough ends of the asparagus off. Lay them on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 T olive oil, sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and cracked pepper, and half of the lemon zest. Roast in the oven until just tender, about 20-25 minutes. Cut into bite size pieces. (Alternatively, for faster preparation, blanch bite size pieces of asparagus, with the cous cous water, during the last 2-3 minutes of the cous cous’s cooking time.)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Israeli Cous Cous, and cook until al dente.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together.
- Drain couscous, and place in a large bowl. Toss it with the dressing, olives, asparagus, feta, pine nuts, fresh herbs , scallions and remaining lemon zest.
- Taste and adjust salt and lemon to your liking.
- Serve warm, or chill and serve as a salad.
- If serving chilled, taste the salad once more before serving and adjust salt, lemon and olive oil one more time as the cous cous may soak up some of the flavorful dressing.
Notes
You want 4-ish cups of cooked pasta or grain.
Keywords: Asparagus salad, Asparagus salad recipe, asparagus cous cous salad, roasted asparagus salad recipe, spring salad,
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I made this today with farm fresh asparagus and it was so delicious! I used dill but didn’t use any tarragon because I didn’t have it and I used Jovial’s GF orzo instead of quinoa. This is now a springtime favorite. Everyone had seconds!
★★★★★
Perfect!
Love the combinations of flavors in this salad, however I can’t believe no one has said anything about the dressing! I made it as suggested and it was so tart it made me pucker! I added some honey to it which helped even out the flavors. I think next time I might use Dijon instead, and cut back on either the amount of lemon or mustard, and definitely add honey.
Great salad other than that though!
★★★
Thanks so much for this recipe! Kindly note that the product sold as “Israeli couscous” is actually an appropriated and rebranded version of “maftoul”, a traditional pasta made by Palestinians.
Thanks, I did not know this!
Love this recipe – I’ve made it with both orzo and quinoa, and it’s fantastic. I’ve also made small adjustments with the dressing (champagne vinegar instead of red wine, dijon mustard/honey mustard instead of whole grain) and it’s still very tasty. Definitely a lot of flexibility with this recipe, which is great!
Also – are the scallions supposed to go in the salad or is that a mistake on the ingredient list? I’m sure it would taste great but I’ve never added them.
★★★★★
Thanks Rachel, I usually add them!
Once again, an absolutely delicious dish from Sylvia! I cook something from your blog at least once a week and have never been disappointed. Thank you! Quick, easy and delicious. I made this with quinoa since I didn’t have the couscous and it was perfect. Served with a salmon fillet! Happy bellies tonight.
★★★★★
how long does this last for?
3-4 days in the fridge. 🙂
I love this recipe. I substituted cous cous for Farro and paired it with grilled shrimp for dinner. It was hearty but healthy. The flavor is fresh and delicious and perfect for spring. I will definitely be making this again. I like how it can be served warm or cold, making it the perfect dish to bring to a party. Thanks!
★★★★★
Thanks Meg- appreciate you sharing and glad you enjoyed it!!
This was simple and easy and full of flavor! Added the asparagus to the cous cous water for faster cooking! So delicious!
★★★★★
This recipe sounds positively amazballs! I have to try it.
★★★★
oh, Sylvia, these flavors are wonderful together!! I have not used tarragon much and I really enjoyed the combination with the lemon and parsley.
★★★★
You forgot to mention what degree to set the oven.
400F
These images are knocking me out! They are simply stunning! Pinning, and then shopping for the ingredients, stat!
Thanks Katie, coming from you, that’s such a compliment!
I swear I ate so much of this I gained a few! Just a tip: if you just use a vegetable peeler and peel off those little leafy things on the stalk of the asparagus, it makes it much less bitter and even more delicious 🙂
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe xx
I just made this and it is scrumptious!
Yay! Im glad you liked it!
Awesome post .i hope everybody will like your post
This salad screams spring, love everything about it!
Um, YUM. Some of my very favorite things, and may I just say… those are the loveliest lemon zest curls I’ve ever seen! 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for visiting Christina!