Here’s a nice, easy side dish recipe for Chilled Asparagus with Feta Vinaigrette.
This chilled asparagus recipe is perfect for making and serving in warm weather. The asparagus are steamed until tender, and then they’re combined with a delicious and easy-to-make vinaigrette. A brief stint in the refrigerator will get them nice and cold, and then they’re ready to serve. Think of this as a cold vegetable salad. Alternately, you can steam the asparagus ahead of time, chill and assemble when ready.
How to steam asparagus on the stove:
Place your trimmed asparagus in the top half of a steamer pan set. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus, or until the asparagus are tender.
How to cook asparagus in the microwave:
Alternately, you can cook the asparagus in the microwave. Arrange the asparagus spoke-like on a 12-inch round glass platter or pie plate with stem ends toward outside of platter. Cover with heavy-duty plastic wrap, and vent. Microwave at HIGH 4 minutes or until crisp-tender, rotating the platter a half-turn after 2 minutes. Let stand, covered, 2 minutes.
How to make Feta Vinaigrette:
Combine feta cheese crumbles, lemon juice, orange juice, water, Dijon mustard, vegetable oil, and hot sauce. That’s your vinaigrette for these chilled asparagus.
How to choose the best asparagus:
Look for bright green, thinner asparagus with healthy, closed tips. Asparagus with thicker stems tend to be rather tough, and then you have to break off a good portion of the stem. If you do happen to have pretty thick stems, go ahead and break off the end of the stem, and you can also use a potato peeler to peel down the stem so it’s not so thick.
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW program, this is a good recipe for you! If You’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below. If you’re not following the plan, just consider this a nice, healthy asparagus side dish recipe. Enjoy!
Here are a few more asparagus recipes you might like to try:
- Citrus Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
- Red Pepper Confetti Asparagus
- Crispy Baked Asparagus Fries
- Balsamic Roasted Asparagus
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Sautéed Asparagus with Butter and Parmesan
- Pan Roasted Asparagus with Thyme
Chilled Asparagus with Feta Vinaigrette
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE:
- 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 2½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 drops Tabasco sauce
THE REST:
- 1¼ pounds asparagus
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (alternately, you can use roasted red pepper strips)
Instructions
PREPARE THE VINAIGRETTE:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the feta cheese, lemon juice, orange juice, water, Dijon mustard, vegetable oil, and hot sauce.
PREPARE THE ASPARAGUS:
- Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. Trim the ends with a potato peeler, if you'd like. Place your trimmed asparagus in the top half of a steamer pan set. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus, or until the asparagus are tender.
ASSEMBLE:
- Divide the asparagus evenly among 4 plates, and top each serving with 2 tablespoons feta vinaigrette and 2 tablespoons red bell pepper. Chill until cold and serve!
Notes
- Microwave instructions: Arrange asparagus spoke-like on a 12-inch round glass platter or pie plate with stem ends toward outside of platter. Cover with heavy-duty plastic wrap, and vent. Microwave at HIGH 4 minutes or until crisp-tender, rotating platter a half-turn after 2 minutes. Let stand, covered, 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve never tried chilled asparagus, but now I want to!