Need a vegan, paleo-friendly side dish to make? Prepare the fresh and tasty Raw Asparagus Salad that is naturally low carb and Whole30, healthy, and easy to put together.
I’m a huge fan of asparagus in all forms. They are crunchy and delicious as a side dish, with eggs, and even in soups. I’ve made them in all ways (grilled, roasted, pan fried, steamed), but recently started enjoying them raw with some dressing and seasoning. When the flavors meld together, the result is so refreshing with a really yummy texture!
What Is Asparagus and Why Is It Good to Eat?
Asparagus is a crunchy green vegetable. It is known for its signature spears and woody bottoms. I love to add this vegetable to my diet, because not only is it delcious, it’s packed with with vitamins A and C. It is also a great source of fiber. If you are looking for fresh, delicious dishes while following a vegan, paleo lifestyle, this Raw Asparagus Salad is a delicious recipe to try.
Ingredients Needed to Make the Whole30 Asparagus
Make the Vegan Asparagus Salad with the following ingredients:
- Walnuts: Add the perfect crunch to your salad by adding walnuts to it.
- Asparagus: Trim the ends of your asparagus to remove any tough pieces from it.
- Lemon juice; Use a small amount of lemon juice on your asparagus to give it a slightly acidic punch.
- Minced garlic: Enhance the taste of the salad using freshly minced garlic.
Additional ingredients to use include extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and ground black pepper. If you do not mind a bit of heat like me, you can add some red pepper flakes to the salad. You really don’t need a lot of ingredients to prepare this Whole30 Asparagus recipe.
How Do You Make Raw Asparagus salad?
Here are the instructions to make this Whole30 asparagus salad:
- First, place a skillet on the stove and set it to medium heat. Add the walnuts to the skillet and toast them for several minutes until they turn a darker shade of brown. Take the walnuts out of the skillet and put them on a cutting board that you can use to chop them into small pieces. Set the chopped walnuts off to the side until you are ready to use them.
- If your asparagus is thick and tough, shave thick asparagus stalks with a vegetable peeler. Slice them into thin pieces at a sharp angle, and then put them in a bowl.
- Grab a smaller bowl that you can use to mix your lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil together to make a dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the asparagus stalks, and toss together to make sure to coat each piece.
- Let your asparagus chill for an hour before sprinkling the walnuts on top.
This light and refreshing salad takes less than 30 minutes to make!
What to Serve With the Raw Asparagus Salad
The Raw Asparagus Salad will be great as a side dish for several entrees. If you are following both a vegan and paleo lifestyle, you may want to make mushroom steak or cabbage steaks as the main course to serve with a side of the asparagus salad. If you eat meat and you are doing the Whole30 challenge, you may want to prepare steak, pork chops, baked chicken, or seafood to serve with the salad. It also goes great with other sides, including roasted carrots, baked red potatoes, and baked sweet potatoes.
How Do You Store It?
Place your Raw Asparagus Salad in a large glass food storage container with an airtight lid. You will need to place the salad in the fridge to keep it cold and fresh. If you keep the salad stored properly in your refrigerator, it should stay fresh up to a week.
Do You Have to Use Walnuts?
The Raw Asparagus Salad contains walnuts for an extra crunch that goes great with the vegetable. However, if you do not like them or don’t have them on hand, you can replace them with other nuts. Some of the other types of nuts you can use include cashews, almonds, and pecan!
If you enjoyed this raw asparagus salad, you might also like…
- Creamy Whole30 Asparagus Soup (Paleo, Low Carb, AIP & Vegan Option)
- Roasted Whole30 Greek Salad (Paleo, Keto, Vegan)
- Paleo Beet Salad with Cabbage and Pecans (Whole30, Vegan)
- Paleo Roasted Eggplant Salad (Whole30, Vegan)
- Mediterranean Cauliflower Couscous Salad (Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Vegan)
Raw Asparagus Salad (Paleo, Whole30, Vegan, Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 lb asparagus tough ends trimmed
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- Optional: Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and toast stirring for 3-4 minutes, until browned and fragrant.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a cutting board. Chop roughly until they are the size of pine nuts. Set aside.
- If the asparagus stalks are thick, shave the outside lightly with the vegetable peeler. Cut the stalks into thin slices at a sharp angle. Add to a large a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Pour over the asparagus and toss to coat.
- Chill for at least an hour so the flavors can meld. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and red pepper flakes (if using) just before serving.
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This is the perfect salad for spring! Really love how crunchy the asparagus is in this salad!
I LOVE this delicious salad! The asparagus goes so well with the crunchy nuts!
Beautiful, delicious and full of so much flavor and texture!
This would be just perfect for Easter! I love the addition of walnuts. So tasty!
The toasted walnuts are a great addition to the salad. All around crunchy and flavourful! Thank you.
Walnuts and asparagus, sooo YUM! Loving the dressing on this easy salad.
Love the crunchy walnuts and spicy pepper flakes! This is going to be my new spring salad.