This spring-inspired salad is a crowd pleaser! It easily serves eight as a main dish and even more as a side. It’s made with the season’s freshest asparagus and peas, crunchy celery, zesty marinated artichoke hearts, hearty lentils and rice, fragrant herbs, and a simple homemade vinaigrette. It comes together quickly, but to save even more time, look for cooked lentils at the market (canned or in a microwavable pouch) or swap the lentils for a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked green or brown lentils, rinsed well and picked over for any debris
3 cups water
12 oz asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cooked brown or white rice, cooled
3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into thin slices
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, cooked according to package directions
1 (12-oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese, optional
¼ to ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
Drizzle honey or maple syrup, plus more to taste
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
In large saucepan, combine lentils and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered, until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes, or according to package directions.
When lentils are done, use a strainer or colander to drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Transfer to large bowl and set aside.
While lentils cool, fill empty saucepan with 1 inch water. Place steamer basket inside pot. Arrange asparagus in steamer basket, bring water to a boil, cover, and steam until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully transfer asparagus to strainer, and rinse under cold water to cool. Drain well and use paper towel to blot away excess moisture.
Place asparagus in bowl with lentils. Add rice, celery, peas, artichoke hearts, green onion, parsley, mint, and feta as desired. Mix well to combine.
To make dressing, place oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until ingredients are well combined. Add more honey to taste.
Drizzle dressing over salad and stir well to combine. Taste salad and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.