This fresh and crisp Spring Vegetable Salad recipe is packed with healthy, nutritious seasonal spring produce. Perfect for Meatless Mondays or lighter meals.
Spring is in the air!
A few weeks ago, the weather was nice enough to have dinner outside in the backyard. We invited our neighbors over and had a spontaneous bbq. They supplied the most delicious tri-tip and we were in charge of the side dishes. Since the weather was so lovely, I didn’t want to prepare anything too heavy.
I had recently seen a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine for a beautiful spring vegetable salad with garlic dill sauce and decided that this would be the perfect occasion to give it a try. I modified it a bit since I didn’t have all the same ingredients on hand that were in the original recipe. That is the beauty of this recipe, totally customizable to what you have on hand or your vegetable preferences. I also love using seasonal vegetables, like the one is this April Seasonal Produce Guide.
Light & Fresh Spring Vegetable Salad Recipe
The vegetables are blanched and then sautéed for just a few minutes. This leaves them slightly softened but still retaining most of their nutrients. The salad is served while it’s lukewarm, which makes it great for get togethers because you can make it in advance and don’t have to worry about keeping it cold.
Let’s not forget an important factor…the leftovers. I had a bit leftover and they were great the next day! I simply threw the whole dish in a sauté pan for a few minutes and they were ready to go.
Spring Vegetable Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can 14 oz artichoke hearts, drained and sliced in fourths
- 8 oz snap peas
- 8 oz petite rainbow carrots or regular baby carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill divided
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives sliced
- Fresh Lemon
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil
- While water is boiling, prepare a large bowl of ice and water (ice bath)
- Add carrots to boiling water for 3 minutes, until barely tender
- Using a slotted spoon, remove carrots from pot and place directly into ice bath
- Repeat process with snap peas, blanching in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then transferring directly to ice bath
- Drain vegetables and pat dry with paper towel
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil
- When oil is hot, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute
- Add 1 Tbsp of the dill, salt and pepper and stir
- Add blanched vegetables into skillet, along with olives and toss to coat
- Transfer to large serving platter, top with fresh squeezed lemon, salt, pepper and remaining dill
If you love fresh vegetables that are packed with flavor, this Spring Vegetable Salad recipe is perfect!
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I’m into veggies lately. I think I can add this recipe on my list. Thanks for this!
[…] vinaigrette would taste amazing over this Spring Vegetable Salad as […]