Market Spring Vegetable Salad

Get ready to celebrate the new season with this spring vegetable salad!

Packed with all the leafy greens and fresh produce, this easy spring salad recipe is tossed with a bright and zesty dressing.

So, let’s get in the kitchen and make something new and fresh!

I always get this uptick in energy as Spring arrives and I try to bring my vibrant Springtime memories to life in the food that I cook and eat.

While I love all the cozy soups of winter, I am so excited to welcome spring again! This spring vegetable salad is the perfect way to mark the arrival of the new season. It’s made with fresh ingredients like leafy greens, peas, radishes and asparagus!

Why you’ll love this spring vegetable salad

• It takes just 15 minutes to make this fresh spring salad!
• You don’t need any fancy equipment to make this recipe, just a large bowl to toss everything together.
• No cooking involved in this recipe!
• You can serve it for 4 as a side salad, or add a protein to the salad to have as a main dish!

Ingredients Needed

Radishes: thinly sliced radishes will give us a bit of crunch in this salad!

Buffalo Mozzarella: I used buffalo mozzarella but you could also use burrata, feta or goat cheese.

Asparagus: while I love having thin slices of asparagus, you could also just chop it up.

Shallots: the salad dressing has a minced shallot but you could swap it out for a clove of garlic.

Leafy Greens: use your favorite spring leafy greens for this salad!

Peas: one of the best springtime vegetables, you can use fresh or frozen peas.

This salad is a feast for your senses; the colour of the ingredients is a pleasure for your eyes and the variety of vegetables give way to a plethora of textures and tastes.

Step by Step Process to make this delicious spring salad recipe

Step 1: Wash and slice all of the fresh salad ingredients.

Step 2: Prepare the asparagus by removing the woody stalks, slicing off about 2 inches. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus. Hold the head of the asparagus, then use the peeler to shave the asparagus. Be sure to save the heads of the asparagus to add to the salad!

Step 3: Roast the sunflower seeds in a small pan or skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.

Step 4: Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a mason jar or in a bowl.

Step 5: Assemble the salad in a large bowl. Start by adding the lettuce first and then the remaining salad ingredients except for the cheese and sunflower seeds.

Step 6: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and then toss. Top with the roasted sunflower seeds and torn up buffalo mozzarella, finally finish with a sprinkle of salt.

Market Spring Vegetable Salad

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: salad, spring salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 as a side salad

Taste spring in every bite of this Market Spring Vegetable Salad; a perfect lunch or accompaniment to any dinner.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups (packed) leafy greens
• 1/2 cup green peas cook frozen peas if you cannot find fresh
• 2 radishes, sliced thinly
• 1 cup pea shoots
• 8 asparagus stalks, shaved thinly
• 200 g buffalo mozzarella or burrata cheese
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

Salad Dressing:

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp grainy or dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• 1/2 tbsp liquid honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of coarse salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the salad ingredients, wash and slice according to the ingredients listing.

2. Specifically for the asparagus, first remove the woody ends by slicing off about 2 inches of the stalk. Then use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus stalks. Start by holding the head of the asparagus stalk, using a vegetable peeler to ‘peel’ the asparagus into shavings. Then use the heads of the asparagus in the salad as well.

3. Dry roast the sunflower seeds in a small pan or skillet on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring the sunflower seeds until lightly-browned. 

4. To make the dressing, add the dressing ingredients into a mason jar and shake OR whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until combined. 

5. Assemble the salad in a large bowl by adding the lettuce first and then the remaining salad ingredients except the cheese and sunflower seeds. 

6. Add the dressing to the bowl and toss the salad. Then, top with roasted sunflower seeds, torn-up buffalo mozzarella or burrata and a sprinkle of salt.

FAQ

Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make the dressing a day in advance and store it in the fridge. You can prepare all the vegetables and store them in the fridge too.

What can I serve this salad with?
I love serving it with lemon chicken, a fresh and springy frittata or my mushroom tart.

Expert Tips for making this easy spring salad recipe

• To make this a main meal, serve the spring vegetable salad with a protein like grilled chicken, salmon, crunchy chickpeas or eggs!
• To make this dairy free, omit the cheese and add another handful of greens.
• Keep the dressing in a mason jar until ready to serve, if you toss the greens and vegetables too early they’ll lose some of their crunch!
• If you don’t have buffalo mozzarella or burrata, use about ½ cup of goat cheese or feta instead!

This salad is the perfect way to celebrate the season and gather together for a meal with family and friends. Experience everything Spring has to offer from the colours of the outdoors to the bountiful and delicious produce!

More delicious salad recipes to enjoy from the blog

Blueberry Basil Summer Green Salad

Roasted Tomato, Arugula and Halloumi Salad with Pesto

Quick Summer Green Salad Recipe

Kale & Peach Salad with Feta and Toasted Pepitas

Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess