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Home » Salad Index

Baby Asparagus with Lemon Ricotta

Made by Anastasia Papapetros - Serves 6 Filed Under: Gourmet Salads, Green Salads, Low Carb, Salad Index, Summer Salads, Vegetarian

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Wow, your guests at your next dinner party with this easy-to-make Baby Asparagus Salad. So easy to prepare but oh so heavenly.

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CLOSE-UP OF BABY ASPARAGUS SALAD

The delicate grassy flavour of the fresh baby asparagus is just magic with the creamy, lemony ricotta in this salad, a wonderfully elegant salad that is easy to prepare.

This antioxidant-rich salad is also very low-carb, gluten-free and keto-friendly.

JUMP TO
  • You Will Need
  • How Much Should I Cut Off My Asparagus?
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  •  🍽 Serving Suggestions
  • Tips & Questions
  • Keen to try more asparagus salads?
  • Recipe Card

You Will Need

Labelled ingredients needed to make baby asparagus salad.

How Much Should I Cut Off My Asparagus?

Let's just put a large pot of water to boil first as we are going to be blanching them later for our salad.

  1. Hold the asparagus about halfway down the spear.
  2. Then bend the stalk until it snaps.
  3. Use this stalk as a guide to cut the rest of your asparagus stalks by lining them up.
  4. Once lined up cut the ends off with a sharp chef’s knife.
BENDING ASPARAGUS TO CUT OFF WOODY STALKS
BEND THE STALK
SNAPPING ASPARAGUS TO CUT OFF WOODY STALKS
SNAP THE SPEAR
LINING UP YOUR ASPARAGUS FOR CUTTING
LINE THEM UP AND CUT THEM
Trimming the woody ends from asparagus spears with a knife on a wooden board.
CUT OFF ENDS WITH A SHARP KNIFE

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Blanch Asparagus

If you haven't already done so, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Add some salt to your boiling water (this helps the asparagus to retain its bright green colour), then add your prepared asparagus.

Blanch until tender approximately 2-3 minutes for the baby asparagus and slightly longer for the long asparagus 4-5 minutes.

It will turn bright green and you will notice a grassy asparagus aroma.

You want your asparagus to be cooked until it is al dente, just like your pasta.

BABY ASPARAGUS - ASPARAGUS IN WATER
PUT ASPARAGUS IN BOILING SALTED WATER
BABY ASPARAGUS - BLANCHING ASPARAGUS
BLANCH UNTIL BRIGHT GREEN

Step 2 - Prepare Lemon Ricotta

In the meantime, we are going to prepare the lemon ricotta.

Wash your lemon, wipe dry and then zest.

Make sure you do this next to your boiling asparagus so that you can keep an eye on it – there is nothing worse than soggy asparagus.

In a small mixing bowl add your ricotta, a pinch of sea salt and half of the lemon zest and gently mix until the ricotta and zest are well combined.

If you find that your ricotta is a bit thick you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water to thin it out a bit.

If you would like a smoother consistency for your lemon ricotta, just place your ricotta, half the lemon zest, a pinch of fine sea salt and 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water in a small food processor and blitz until creamy

RICOTTA AND LEMON ZEST IN A WHITE BOWL WITH SPOON
ADD RICOTTA & ZEST TO A BOWL
MIXING RICOTTA AND ZEST IN BOWL
SEASON & MIX WELL TO COMBINE

Step 3 - Strain and Cool Asparagus

When your asparagus is ready, strain in a colander in the sink and immediately run cold water on top to stop the cooking process. 

Drain well and leave in your colander, you want to strain out as much of the water as you can, otherwise, it will water down your dressing.

RINSING BABY ASPARAGUS UNDER COLD WATER
RINSE UNDER COLD WATER
STRAINING & COOLING ASPARAGUS IN COLANDER IN SINK
ALOW THE WATER TO DRAIN

Step 4 - Assemble Salad

Place your cooled and drained asparagus in a large mixing bowl add your olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss until well combined your asparagus should be well coated with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Arrange your asparagus on one side of a salad platter then smear the ricotta on the other side. 

Sprinkle the additional lemon zest on top and serve.

MIXING ASPARAGUS WITH DRESSING
DRAINED ASPARAGUS IN BOWL + LEMON & OIL
BABY ASPARAGUS SALAD
BABY ASPARAGUS & LEMON RICOTTA

 🍽 Serving Suggestions

As this salad has subtle flavours, I would pair this salad with white meats such as chicken, pork or seafood, especially good with salmon. We served ours with a whole baked salmon.

CLOSE UP OF BABY ASPARAGUS & LEMON RICOTTA SALAD

Tips & Questions

When is Asparagus in Season?

Even though you might find asparagus in stores throughout the year, springtime is when it is in season and at its peak. This means that not only does it look amazing and gorgeously bright green, but it is at its nutritional best.

Springtime is also when you are most likely to come across adorable little bunches of baby or 'mini' asparagus at your supermarket, greengrocer or farmers market.

'Mini' asparagus is just the small asparagus from the asparagus plant. These cute little stems are just 10 cm (4 inches) long and light green in colour. They have a subtle taste and a much more delicate flavour than larger asparagus does.

Can I Make It Ahead?

This salad is perfect for entertaining as you can prepare most of its components the day before and just simply assemble it on the day.

You can blanch and cool your asparagus, prepare the lemon ricotta, place all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and store them covered in your fridge.

On the day, dress your asparagus and arrange it on a salad platter with the lemon ricotta on the side.

What Can I Do With the Leftovers?

In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, they will keep covered for 3-4 days in your fridge.

You can stir leftovers through some pasta or use them as a frittata filling for an easy lunch or dinner the next day.

Keen to try more asparagus salads?

CLOSE-UP OF BLANCHED ASPARAGUS AND FETA SALAD

ASPARAGUS & FETA

Oven roasted asparagus on a plate on top of a striped napking with lemon halves at the bottom.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

BBQ-ASPARAGUS-WITH-WALNUT-ROSEMARY-CRUMBLE - PORTRAIT

ASPARAGUS ROSEMARY

Recipe Card

BABY ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON RICOTTA

BABY ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON RICOTTA

This Baby Asparagus salad has very delicate flavours, the earthy but slightly grassy taste of the asparagus complements the creamy lemony taste of the ricotta beautifully.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
* Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Easy
Servings: 6
Calories: 155kcal
Author: Anastasia Papapetros
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Ingredients
For the Asparagus
  • 550 grams baby asparagus or standard (5 mini or 2 medium bunches)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
For the Lemon Ricotta
  • 250 grams fresh ricotta (1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
Metric - Imperial
Instructions
Prepare Asparagus
  • Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
  • In the meantime, rinse your baby asparagus under cold running water and cut off the woody part of the stems.
  • Blanch until tender approximately 2-3 minutes for the baby asparagus and slightly longer for the long asparagus 4-5 minutes.
  • Remove immediately when done and refresh in cold water so that it remains a bright green colour, then leave in your colander to drain well.
Make the Lemon Ricotta
  • Add the ricotta, half of the lemon zest and a pinch of sea salt to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
  • Alternatively, blitz in a small food processor with 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water until smooth.
Assemble the Salad
  • Place your asparagus in a large mixing bowl add your olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
  • Arrange your asparagus on one side of a salad platter then smear the ricotta on the other side. Sprinkle the additional lemon zest on top and serve.

Video

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @salads_with_anastasia or tag #salads_with_anastasia!

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About Anastasia Papapetros

Anastasia has been passionate about cooking since she was eight years old, and hasn't left the kitchen since! With over a decade of experience running her own coffee shop and catering business, Anastasia has developed a true love for salads - especially for family get-togethers and friends' functions. She's the go-to for bringing the perfect salad to any occasion!

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