The Best Vegetable Salad

This easy vegetable salad recipe with blanched asparagus, green beans and broccolini is a fabulous, healthy side dish. Served with goat cheese and a lemony dressing, it’s perfect with a variety of main dishes.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Vegetables. I used green beans, asparagus and broccolini. Sugar snap peas, frozen peas, broccoli, zucchini and baby spinach can all be used. Red onion or crispy onions 
• Goat’s cheese. I love the soft, tanginess of goat’s cheese with the vegetables but feta cheese is a great option too.
• For the vinaigrette: I made a simple dressing with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, fresh garlic, salt and black pepper. Dijon mustard, honey, red wine vinegar and spices like red pepper flakes/chilli flakes, garlic powder and onion powder can also be added. Fresh parsley, chives, basil and dill will also be delicious.
• Optional: Other toppings like sliced almonds, red onion, crispy onions and chickpeas are great vegan toppings if you don’t want to use cheese.

How to make vegetable salad

1. Blanche the vegetables in a large pot of salted water. Place a pot of water over medium-high heat then season generously with salt. Trim the ends off the broccolini, asparagus and green beans. Cook the vegetables (I prefer doing them separately as they have different cooking times) then remove with tongs and place in a large bowl of ice water. Drain well and add to a serving platter.
2. Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Pour over the vegetables, toss to combine then crumble over the cheese and serve.

Can I make this ahead?

The vegetables can be blanched the day in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Any leftovers can also be kept in a container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days but the acid in the dressing will likely cause the veggies to brown.

Easy Salad Recipes