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Asparagus and Feta Salad with roasted pistachios, herbs, and a zesty lemon-shallot dressing. This simple asparagus salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes!
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This salad is truly the essence of spring.
One of my favorite aspects of cooking this time of year, in addition to the availability of fresh asparagus, is the easy, breezy tone that spring recipes embrace.
This one features crisp-tender asparagus, a jumble of fresh herbs, crunchy pistachios, salty feta, and a bright, zingy dressing.
This is a recipe that’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but fancy enough to serve for a holiday meal!
We personally enjoyed it for Easter, and I found it to be well-suited for both brunch and dinner.
Just like my beloved Asparagus Avocado Salad, this one pairs well with just about any entree – baked ham, roasted chicken, fish – and comes together in a snap.
How to Make Asparagus and Feta Salad
With its simple ingredients list, this asparagus salad recipe is easy to whip up for any occasion (including the start of asparagus season!).
It’s the perfect way to say farewell to winter and hello to the warmer months ahead. (Much like this Asparagus Lemon Pasta.)
The Ingredients
- Asparagus: A delicious spring veggie that’s packed with vitamin K, fiber, and folate. It pairs wonderfully with the other flavors in this recipe.
- Herbs: A mix of fresh dill and parsley add citrus-y, grassy flavor notes.
- Pistachios: Look for roasted, salted pistachios, which add so much dimension and richness. Alternatively, you can roasted, salted pumpkin seeds.
- Feta: Crumbled feta cheese adds creamy, salty richness. If you’re not a fan of feta, you can use Parmesan cheese.
- Shallots: The flavor of shallots is a bit more delicate than that of onions. They make a lovely component to salad dressings.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice gives the salad a bright, acidic lift.
- EVOO: I suggest using a good quality extra-virgin olive oil here since it’s the main component of the dressing.
For a complete list of recipe ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card below.
The Directions
Step 1: Prepare Lemon-Shallot Dressing by combining shallots, lemon juice, EVOO, salt and pepper to a jar or small bowl; mix well.
Step 2: Prepare Asparagus by trimming and slicing diagonally into 2-inch pieces. Sauté in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Transfer to a bowl.
Step 3: Assemble Salad by adding herbs, pistachios, and feta to the bowl with asparagus. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine.
Recipe FAQs
The ends of asparagus are tough, woody, and stringy. The texture is unpleasant, not to mention difficult to chew and digest. Which is why you should always wash and trim your asparagus before use.
Although cutting asparagus is faster because you can trim the whole bunch at once, you may end up with some ends that are still tough (not enough was cut off) or wasting part of the spear by cutting too much.
For best results, bend and snap the asparagus. It will naturally break at just the right spot.
To extend the life of your fresh asparagus, stand the stalks up in a glass jar or cup with a little water placed in the bottom, and refrigerate until ready to use.
What to Serve with Asparagus and Feta Salad
- Salmon: Slow Roasted Salmon, Pesto Salmon, and Broiled Salmon are flavorful, easy salmon recipes to serve with roasted asparagus.
- Chicken: Turmeric Chicken or these Chimichurri Chicken Meatballs will pair deliciously.
- Shrimp: Especially this reader-favorite Garlic-Paprika Shrimp Skillet or these tasty Shrimp Cakes.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make-Ahead: You can trim and slice the asparagus up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to cook. You can also prepare the dressing up to 2 hours in advance.
- Store: Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy chilled, or closer to room temperature.
More Asparagus Recipes to Try:
If you give this asparagus salad recipe a try, snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Lastly, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates.
Asparagus and Feta Salad
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. minced shallots
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. each kosher salt and black pepper, divided
- 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and sliced at a diagonal into 2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup roasted, salted pistachios, roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare Lemon-Shallot Dressing by combining shallots, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and black pepper in a glass jar or small mixing bowl; mix to combine. Set aside.
- Heat remaining 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add asparagus and sauté for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, and transfer to a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- To the bowl with asparagus, add pistachios, dill, parsley, and feta. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Pour dressing overtop, and toss to combine.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can trim and slice the asparagus up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to cook. You can also prepare the dressing up to 2 hours in advance.
- Store: Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy chilled, or closer to room temperature.
Nutrition
I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.
Quick and easy! Used dried dill because it’s what I had on hand and it was delicious. I’m sure it would be even better with fresh! This one will likely make it into the regular rotation.
So happy you enjoyed it!! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review!
I made this for a baby shower, and everyone went crazy! There was none left, even though I doubled the recipe. What a great combination of flavor and crunch. Yum!
I made this for a baby shower, and everyone went crazy! There was none left, even though I doubled the recipe. What a great combination of flavor and crunch Yum!
Wow, the salad actually came out incredible. I had asparagus that wanted to die already and I had to use it quickly for something. Kids are not fans of that vegetable so I figured I will make something out of the box for us (adults). I stuck to the recipe with an exception I used cilantro (that’s all I had) and not parsley. The flavors worked so well. I will most definitely use this when I host. I think the mix of nuts and feta and asparagus with lemon and oil are unexpected and so well paired. Thank you so much!!
I made this today as a side for our Memorial Day lunch and everyone loved it! I’m obsessed with pistachios right now and loved how they played so nicely with the dill and the lemon-shallot dressing. I roasted my asparagus lightly instead of sauteing it since I doubled the recipe and wanted to cook all of the asparagus at once and it worked great (10 minutes at 400F for medium stalks)! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
OMG! This is a fabulous side, or in my case my dinner. The dressing is outstanding and pairs so well with the rest of the ingredients. Aside from being easy it keeps well at room temperature — perfect for a potluck or when the rest of dinner is not quite ready. I used medium width asparagus which I believe holds up better than the super skinny stalks.
So glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
This was phenomenal! Such a bright and delicious salad that will certainly be incorporated into our weekly rotation. I added some cherry tomatoes to give it even more pop / brightness, but it’s seriously perfect as-is!
This is so delicious! My family of 4 loved it, especially my 1 year old who couldn’t get enough. I have made several of your recipes, and they have all been wonderful. Thank you making healthy eating easy and enjoyable!