Roasted asparagus, tossed with chopped hard boiled eggs and a tangy lemon, garlic, and Dijon mustard vinaigrette dressing make the perfect side dish for Easter or any spring meal.
Our asparagus is starting to emerge from the ground! This is a very exciting time of year because asparagus is my most favorite vegetable, and fresh from the ground asparagus tastes better than any I've ever eaten.
Asparagus is labor-intensive to get started, but once it's established, it is low maintenance and prolific. If you have a nice, sunny spot in your yard (and you adore asparagus like I do), you should look into growing it. The trick is to buy crowns (like big, thick roots) that are several years old, and you never cut spears that are thinner than a pencil. You can keep cutting it as long as the spears are nice and fat, and you will get a crop for a couple of weeks every spring.
As with most foods, fresh asparagus from your own garden is worlds different from what you buy in the store from half a world away, and when you roast it, the spears are sweet and juicy and amazing.
I love to roast asparagus and use it all different ways, but one of the best is in this gorgeous salad.
If I'm cooking for just myself, I mix the salad all together on a serving plate. If I'm cooking for others (as I will be for Easter dinner), I serve the dressing on the side.
This dressing gets very tart if you leave it for longer than a couple of hours. By the second day, it's almost inedible. Make it and use it fresh, and don't plan to save leftovers.
Why this is the best egg and asparagus salad recipe
It's easy. This recipe has a few quick steps and can be made in under 30 minutes.
It uses simple ingredients. Asparagus, hard-cooked egg, and a homemade lemon garlic vinaigrette dressing. I'm betting you already have almost everything you need!
The asparagus is roasted not cooked in boiling water. When you boil asparagus, you run the risk of it becoming dull and mushy. You have to boil it very briefly and then dump it into a bowl of ice water to stop it from overcooking. That is not a concern with roasting. Also, roasting gives asparagus a nice caramelization that you can't get with other cooking methods.
It tastes like spring. One of the things I love most about asparagus salad is that it tastes like spring. The fresh spears, the bright dressing, and the creamy egg combine to make a salad you'll be craving for days.
It's allergy-friendly. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb, but it does contain eggs. It is great for keto and bariatric diets.
What you'll need to make Egg and Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
EQUIPMENT
- Garlic press - If you don't have a garlic press, you can mince the fresh garlic with a sharp knife. Get the pieces as small as possible. They won't be as small as the press will make them.
- Baking sheet - You need a baking sheet to roast the asparagus. It should have a lip around the edge to catch any juices that are released during baking.
Asparagus Salad Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- Fresh asparagus with the woody ends trimmed off - This is the star of the show, after all! Buy the plumpest asparagus you can find. The tips should be firm and compact, not loose or mushy. I like to cut the spears into bite-sized pieces, but you can also leave them whole if you prefer that for presentation.
- Hard cooked eggs - See the link for how to best prepare "hard-boiled" eggs. Spoiler: you don't actually want to boil them.
- Fresh lemon juice - The remaining ingredients form the vinaigrette dressing that you'll pour over the egg & asparagus salad. The dressing is tart but delicious.
- White wine vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil - Don't skimp on the oil. You need it to make the dressing taste right.
- Dijon mustard - If you don't have dijon, you can substitute another brown mustard (not bright yellow!).
- Sugar - A tiny bit of sugar balances out the tart lemon juice and vinegar. If you leave it out, the dressing will make you pucker.
- Fresh garlic - This adds a pungent note to the dressing that makes it amazing. You need a clove of fresh garlic. Do not use minced garlic from a jar or garlic powder. They don't taste the same and will not give great results.
- Kosher salt - A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors and helps to balance out the tartness.
How to Make Egg and Asparagus Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
- Prepare the lemon dijon vinaigrette dressing. Combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, sugar, pressed garlic, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.
- Roast the asparagus. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. I cut my asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces at this point, but you can also leave the spears whole if you prefer. Spread the asparagus pieces in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
- Roast until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Assemble the salad. Move cooled asparagus to a serving platter. Top with egg. Drizzle with vinaigrette; serve immediately.
Asparagus salad variations
You could add fresh herbs to the vinaigrette, such as chopped dill or basil. You could also throw in a teaspoon or two of lemon zest.
You could add a handful of crumbled feta cheese to the salad.
You could dice an avocado and add that to the salad with the egg. This is my favorite variation, and something that I do a lot of the time.
You can also add halved cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, nuts like pecans or walnuts, pine nuts, kalamata olives, and even greens like arugula or baby spinach. I've even seen people add tuna or shredded chicken and make asparagus salad a complete meal!
Storing leftover asparagus salad
Do not put the dressing on the salad if you think you might have leftovers!
You can store leftover egg and asparagus in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. That part is easy.
The lemon vinaigrette dressing does NOT store well. It gets way too tart and becomes virtually inedible by the next day. For this reason, I do not recommend putting the dressing on the salad until you're serving it, and then only on individual portions.
If you have leftover dressing, throw it out and make it fresh when you want to serve the leftover salad.
What's the best way to hard boil eggs?
The best hard-cooked eggs are not actually boiled. Check out the instructions here for stovetop and Instant Pot directions for perfectly cooked eggs every single time!
Here are some other asparagus recipe you might like:
- Seared Scallops with Asparagus
- Chicken Asparagus Alfredo
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Fresh Asparagus
- Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese
Recipe
Egg and Asparagus Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus woody ends trimmed off
- 2 large hard cooked eggs see link in notes section below for how to best prepare hard boiled eggs
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, pressed garlic, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat oven to 400ºF. Spread asparagus in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Transfer cooled asparagus to a serving plate, and top with egg. Drizzle with vinaigrette; serve immediately.
April Harris says
I love asparagus, and just got a beautiful big bag of it at the store so will definitely give this recipe a try. I can't wait till our local asparagus comes in (soon!) but for the moment mine is from Peru!!
SnoWhite says
Sounds refreshing and yummy!
Melinda says
I'm jusy waiting for the first springs of asparagus to show up in my garden! I'm drooling just thinkin about them!
Blessedwithgrace says
Looks good. I just bought some asparagus (don't have a garden like you) and I still have some of those boiled eggs! Thanks Tara.
BTW, I linked to you twice in my TMTT post this week because you are just so awesome. 🙂
Brenda says
Another delicious way to make asparagus
Adrienne says
I'm so scared to try asparagus. I'm not sure why...I'm working on it. I'll keep this in mind once I put on my big girl panties and stop acting like a baby.
shopannies says
asparagus was something that my mother in law loved and my daughter loves as well I am not sure if they have tried it this way but I am going to mention it to them
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
It's not because I'm awesome. It's because you're awesome! 😉 Thank you, Lisa!
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
Go check! We have some up already!
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
I adore it, especially roasted. When you do finally try it, make sure you roast it in the oven! 🙂
lizhoosierhomemade says
I lve asparagus! My Dad used to grow it, and I loved it fresh from the garden. I'm having a Leftover Ham/Egg Linky if you would like to join us!
http://hoosierhomemade.com/sir-ham-a-lot-leftov...
~Liz@HoosierHomemade
Cheryl B. says
Hi :-} I followed your 'link up' over from Jen's homemaking haven.
I had to chuckle when I read that your asparagas is starting to spring up from the ground. We live in Michigan - which has two things. First off, snow is predicited for today. Secondly, New Era /Shelby Michigan are known as the largest asparagas producing areas in the world.
Natasha says
YUM! What a delicious sounding recipe. I am sure that even though it is Autumn here in Australia that I will be able to find some decent Asparagus so I think I might give this a try. Thanks for sharing it!
Best wishes,
Natasha.
Allison says
Sounds wonderful!
Dropping by from The Inspired Room. Come see what has inspired me in Blog Land, and don't forget our giveaway ends Saturday night - so be sure to register at AtticMag!
Allison
nicolefelicianmo says
Perfect spring supper! Thanks for being a great contributor to Momtrends! Next month is food month and I've got lots of foodie ideas to share. Maybe you could even contribute a guset post! Stay tuned!
And for any other commenters--join the fun every Friday at
http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2010/04/stylish-b...
Jen @ BigBinder says
Hi! I just came over from TILT. And - I had an asparagus egg salad tonight, at the restaurant I professed my love for in my post. Just thought that was a funny coincidence 🙂
Mrs. Jen B says
Delicious! I do love asparagus - exactly what does one have to do to grow it successfully?
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
It's not difficult to grow at all, but it does take some time. Buy crowns that are 2-3 years old, plant them in a sunny spot at the bottom of a trench about 12 inches deep. Cover with about 6 inches of soil. As the plants grow, keep covering with a couple of inches of soil at a time until the soil is level with the rest of the ground.
The year you plant, you can't pick any of the spears. The second year, you shouldn't pick any spears, either. That gives the roots a chance to grow and become healthy and established.
The third year (and all subsequent years), you can pick any spears that are bigger around than a pencil. Let the smaller ones grow and continue to feed the roots. They'll make tall fronds that will die back in the fall. After they are brown and crunchy, cut the fronds off above the ground.
There's a bit more to it (mulching, keeping weeds out, etc), but that's the gist. 🙂 Good luck!
victoria says
Hi...just found your site. the egg and asparagus are not listed in the ingredients... nor is the serving size for this dish...how many does this serve? how much couscous? hard boiled egg or fried? asparagus tips of the whole thing? sorry for all the questions... Thanks.
Tara Ziegmont says
That is very strange. I recently updated my recipe plugin, so it must have lost some of the ingredients. I fixed it now.
1 pounds of asparagus. Use the whole spears but trim off the woody ends and cut into 2" pieces.
2 cups couscous.
2 hard boiled eggs.
I would say that it serves 4-6 depending on the size of your servings, if you add the couscous. If you don't use couscous, it's probably more like 2-3 servings.