Roasted Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

This Roasted Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette is light, fresh and perfect as a side dish or a nice, light lunch.

Asparagus is Tasty in so Many Ways

Want to know one of my most favorite vegetables? Asparagus!

There are so many ways to cook asparagus. It’s great steamed, oven roasted and my favorite – cooked on a charcoal grill (YES!). I almost always have asparagus in my fridge because it goes so well with so many things.

I happened to have some leftover roasted asparagus and thought it would be fun to do something a little different with it. As I really didn’t want to reheat it, I thought a cold roasted asparagus salad recipe would be super interesting.

Who doesn’t love a great salad?!

I definitely wanted something a little lighter because I didn’t want to cover up the roasted flavor of the asparagus. There were a number of salad dressings available in my fridge, but nothing seemed quite right.

I really wanted to pair up the asparagus with a great vinaigrette. But, I felt like doing something a little fancier than let’s say your standard balsamic vinaigrette.

How Does a Famous Luxury Liner Fit Into This Story?

So, I started to do a bit of research into asparagus salads and vinaigrettes and to my surprise, kept running into references to the Titanic. We all know the Titanic was a luxurious great liner that made its maiden voyage in April of 1912 and subsequently sank after hitting an iceberg.

What I didn’t know was that two menus from the last dinner served to the first class passengers before they sank were recovered and restored. I don’t know how they remained intact in basically a cold water ice bath for so long, but it certainly was an interesting find!

This was the first time I had seen this menu and lo and behold, the eighth course (out of 10!), was a cold asparagus vinaigrette. So, that’s how I found out I was basically making something that resembled part of the last meal ever eaten on the Titanic. I certainly hope my outcome is better!

Putting the Roasted Asparagus Salad Together

I decided a super-fun vinaigrette for this salad would be based off of a mimosa I had over the weekend with brunch. Instead of white wine vinegar I used champagne vinegar. I then coupled that with the bright flavors of the orange juice.

Add in the Dijon mustard for a little zing and you have a great salad dressing to compliment the roasted asparagus.

It’s light and tastes really fresh and bright from the orange juice and orange pieces. The pine nuts add a little crunch and the rosemary adds some depth to the flavor.

It’s a perfect recipe as a side dish or as a nice, light lunch and with a cook time of less than 30 minutes, can be on your table in no time.

Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• If you don’t have pine nuts on hand, toasted almonds would be a good substitution.
• Pre-shredded carrots will save you prep time instead of grating them yourself.
• To make ahead of time, cut the asparagus up, peel and chop the orange and prepare the dressing. Store everything separately in the refrigerator (except for the pine nuts, store them in an airtight container on your counter. When ready to serve, roast the asparagus and let cool, then combine all of the ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss with the dressing.
• To insure that the salad doesn’t end up being soggy, add a little dressing at a time until it’s dressed to your liking.
• If using fresh rosemary, make sure it’s chopped very finely.
• You can substitute sea salt if you don’t have regular kosher salt.

Ingredients Needed to Make Roasted Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Fresh asparagus – I wouldn’t recommend using frozen or canned as they would not stand up to roasting.
• Pine nuts – These add great texture as well as flavor to the salad.
• Shredded carrots – To keep things easy, I recommend buying pre-shredded carrots.
• Mixed greens – Spring mix, a butter lettuce mix or romaine
• Fresh orange
• Fresh squeezed orange juice – For the best flavor, I recommend freshed squeezed, but you can substitute store bought if you prefer.
• Champagne vinegar – If you have it on hand you can use champagne instead of the vinegar.
• Dijon mustard – This helps to emulsify the dressing as well as adding extra flavor.
• Honey – Agave nectar is a good substitution.
• Olive oil 
• Dried rosemary – Fresh rosemary can be used instead of dried,
• Salt
• Black pepper

How to Make Roasted Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut woody ends off asparagus (about bottom 1-1/2 inch) and discard (no need to keep those tough ends!).
• Then cut the remaining asparagus spears into 1-1/2 inch pieces and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast asparagus in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until tips of asparagus are starting to turn brown. Allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, place pine nuts in a small skillet and toast over low heat, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
• To make dressing, whisk together orange juice, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl.
• Once combined, slowly whisk in olive oil, making sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Stir in dried rosemary, salt and pepper.
• Combine mixed greens, carrots, orange pieces, asparagus and pine nuts in a large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat.
• Serve immediately.

What to Serve with Roasted Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

• Filet Mignon with Mushroom Stroganoff Sauce
• Classic Swedish Meatballs – Like Grandma Used to Make
• Rich and Creamy Lobster Bisque
• Easy Lemon Chicken
• Baked Salmon
• Classic Popovers