Asparagus Salad with Cannellini Beans

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Asparagus: Look for asparagus spears that are a similar diameter, if possible. Then they will roast in the same amount of time. They should be firm and not limp. Trim off the bottom ends before slicing them into bite-sized pieces that are about 1-1/2 inches long.
• Bread: My preference is sourdough for its distinct tang, but you can use country bread or multigrain. Just make sure the bread has a nice crust.
• Cannellini beans are plump and have a creamy texture. You can substitute with great northern beans, which are slightly smaller.
• Parmesan: Since this salad takes inspiration from the classic Italian panzanella, I add thinly sliced Parmesan cheese. You can substitute with crumbled feta cheese for a more bold option.
• Scallions add a light green onion taste and something crisp. You can substitute with half a small red onion, thinly sliced.
• Parsley: Chopped fresh herbs are a lovely addition to salads including this one.
• Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for roasting the asparagus, toasting the bread and in the dressing for the best flavor.
• Salt & pepper season the asparagus and bread before they go in the oven.
• Lemon vinaigrette: You can call this dressing lemon vinaigrette or mustard vinaigrette. With fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, whole grain mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, it’s a bit of both.

Optional Additions

Even though there are already beans in the salad, these are other proteins you can add to make it a complete meal:

• Chopped hard-boiled eggs
• Poached eggs
• Roasted chicken
• Tuna

How To Make This Asparagus Salad Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Toss the bread with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can do this right on a sheet pan. Then arrange the bread, so it is a single layer. You want each piece to make contact with the pan.

2. Toast the bread until it is golden brown. This will take 12-14 minutes. Flip over the bread halfway through toasting.

3. Toss the asparagus stalks with olive oil, salt and pepper on another pan, spreading it in a single layer. The asparagus should not be overlapping.

4. Roast the asparagus until it is bright green and tender-crisp, about 7 minutes. You can do this while you are toasting the bread. Put the bread in first and then put the asparagus in the oven.

5. Put the toasted bread, asparagus, cannellini beans, Parmesan, scallions and parsley in a large bowl.

6. Make the dressing. Whisk the garlic, mustard, lemon juice and zest, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

7. Drizzle the dressing into the salad, tossing to combine.

8. Put the salad into a serving dish.  You can add more Parmesan on top if you want.

Serving

This is a wonderful spring salad for a weeknight dinner or a holiday like Easter. It does the job of salad as well as side dish. As mentioned, you can serve it warm or at room temperature. Since it does not have leafy greens, it will not wilt. That’s why I love this salad for entertaining.

Leftovers & Storage Tips

You can save the salad in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. To keep leftovers at their best, take out the croutons or they will become soft and soggy in the chill of the refrigerator. You can save the croutons in a separate container at room temperature and toast them for 3-5 minutes in a 350-degree F oven, so they will be crunchy again.