For a beautiful and refreshing side dish this summer, try this green salad with asparagus recipe. Fresh salad greens and raw asparagus are mixed in a light dressing and topped with fresh grated parmesan and toasted walnuts. Great for serving company or to have as a low carb lunch! Each serving has just 1.9g net carbs.
You might also like this easy keto marinated grilled flank steak recipe!
I just got back from a wonderful vacation to Italy visiting the hometown of my husband’s grandfather. We also went to Slovenia to visit where my brother in law’s family came from. It was truly one of the best trips I’ve been on and I was really inspired by the food.
One such dish was similar to this green salad with asparagus. I was craving a big salad over all the pasta, bread, meats, cheese and bread which we were eating just about everyday. So we stopped by a cafe for lunch and I got this colorful salad. It had fresh greens, a simple dressing and raw asparagus. It was so delicious and refreshing.
With this salad I added a few colorful crisp veggies and used a spinach and arugula mix. Then I tossed it with a simple vinaigrette and topped with fresh grated parmesan and toasted walnuts. It was a delicious combination of flavors and it was also low carb which is perfect for anyone on a low carb diet.
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.
Below you can see the simple ingredients I used for this dish – baby spinach and arugula, radishes, red onions, cucumbers, asparagus, toasted walnuts and fresh parmesan cheese. For the dressing I used just some red wine vinegar, good olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Baby Spinach and Arugula
I bought this mixture at Aldi because I just love arugula for its peppery taste. You can however use any kind of lettuce you want. Good substitutions would be leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, or mesclun or mixed greens. Romaine would work too but I would try for softer more delicate lettuce if you can.
This is also a great salad to use fresh herbs. I would suggest fresh basil, parsley, mint or even fennel fronds. I didn’t have any fresh herbs on hand today but I often use them especially in the summer time.
Red Onions, Radishes and Cucumbers
I like the crunch and color of the cucumbers and radishes as well as the bite of the red onion. You can use any kind of vegetables you want in this salad but I wanted to keep them lower in carb. I suggestion cut them in thin slices if you are using more sturdier vegetables like carrots or celery.
Raw Asparagus Spears
You want to use raw fresh asparagus, not cooked. Also try to fine very thin, tender asparagus spears. They really are tasty like this and went well with the other ingredients. Other vegetables to try are green or yellow zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc.
If you only have thick asparagus you can use a vegetable peeler and add the peels to the salad. Ot
Parmesan Cheese
I used fresh grated parmesan cheese on top which was delicious. I would only use fresh cheese for this but you can try other cheeses like feta cheese, blue cheese, asiago, goat cheese, etc.
Walnuts
The toasted walnut pieces were a great addition and I just toasted them a bit in a pan before adding to the dish. You can also use other nuts like pecans, almond slices, pine nuts, hazelnuts, etc. Toasting them first gives them another layer of flavor.
Salad Dressing
I made a simple vinaigrette with good extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. You can use any kind of vinegar and oil you want but for simple dressings like this I love the flavor of good olive oil. This dressing should be light but flavorful but not overpower the other ingredients. Usually I like fresh garlic in dressings like this but not for this particular recipe.
You can try this dressing with fresh lemon juice too. I would also add some fresh grated lemon zest for extra flavor. You will have to play around the with the amount though.
How to make this fresh green salad with asparagus.
Step 1: First let’s toast the nuts. Get out a small skillet and heat to medium high heat. Chop the walnuts into little pieces and add to a dry pan then turn the heat down to medium. Stir them and wait until they start to brown and turn fragrant then take them off the stove and let cool a bit.
Step 2: Next add the lettuces to a large bowl and slice the veggies into thin bite sized pieces. Add them to the bowl.
Step 3: In a small pyrex measuring cup or a medium bowl add the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, salt and black pepper. Whisk together and pour about over the salad greens.
Step 4: Spoon the dressed salad into a serving bowl and top with fresh grrated cheese and then add the cooled toasted nuts. If using as a side dish, you can place some salad on plates and then top with cheese and nuts individually if you want.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
If you don’t care about carbs you can eat this dish with some crusty bread for a delicious lunch or light dinner. You can also add proteins like cooked shrimp, leftover chicken, salmon or even tuna from a can. But make sure it’s tuna packed in oil as it tasted better IMO.
Good low carb main dishes to go with this salad.
This would be the perfect side dish with a meaty main dish on the grill in the summer time. Here are a few of my favorite low carb main dishes that would go good with this salad.
- keto marinated shrimp
- Moroccan rubbed flanken short ribs
- glazed pork chops or smoked thick pork chops
- orange ginger pork kebabs
- grilled Greek marinated lamb chops or lamb burgers
- feta cilantro turkey burgers or Thai turkey burgers
More fresh and delicious salad ideas to try.
I have over 90 salad recipes on this blog so check them out for more ideas. However 2 of my favorite salads that are similar to this one are this peach arugula and this kale with lemony tahini dressing salad.
I love this green salad with asparagus salad as it reminded me of a wonderful vacation but also because it was delicious with all the fresh flavors.
I will be adding more and more raw and fresh veggies this summer to my salads, especially when we start getting them from our garden. I hope you like this recipe as much as I did. Enjoy!
The nutritional information for 1 out of 4 servings is 206 calories / 18.6g fat / 4.2g carbs / 2.3g fiber / 4.7g protein = 1.9g net carbs
Low Carb Green Salad with Asparagus Recipe
This low carb green salad with asparagus recipe is perfect for a light lunch or as a delicious side dish this summer. Easy to make with colorful raw veggies, fresh grated cheese and toasted nuts.
Ingredients
- 4 cups greens (I used baby spinach and arugula)
- 2 cups raw asparagus, chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cucumbers, chopped
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Get out a small skillet and heat to medium high heat. Add chopped up walnuts and then turn the heat down to medium heat. Stir the walnut and let them dry roast for a few minutes until they are fragrant and start to brown. Then take them off the stove and place on a paper towel or plate to cool.
- Add to a lage bowl the salad greens, radish slices, onion slices, chopped asparagus and cucumbers.
- In a small bowl add the vinegar, oil, salt and black pepper whisk well and then pour over the salad. Toss until evertyhing is well coated. Spoon into a serving bowl and then top with freshyly grated parmesan cheese and the cooled toasted walnuts.
- Spoon into bowls and serve as a side dish or eat as a light lunch or meal Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 out of 4 servings is 206 calories / 18.6g fat / 4.2g carbs / 2.3g fiber / 4.7g protein = 1.9g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 206
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