Description
This spring salad is fresh and delicious topped with grilled chicken for an extra protein boost.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups short pasta (gluten free, whole wheat, brown rice, whatever you like!)
- 1 pound asparagus (trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 6–7 cups greens (I used arugula, but can use spinach, kale, or a mixture of all!)
- Shaved parmesan cheese for garnish
- 2 grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced (optional)
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add 3 large pinches of salt and pour in the pasta. Cook until done according to package.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Once the pasta is cooked, remove it from the pot and set aside in a bowl (but keep the pasta water boiling, you will reuse it for the veggies). Add a little bit of dressing to the warm pasta, and toss to coat.
- When the water is boiling again add the asparagus and peas and cook for 2 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl with cold water and a few handfuls of ice.
- When veggies are done cooking, remove from water and place immediately into ice bath. This will help stop the cooking and set the bright green color! Let sit for a few minutes, then drain.
- In a large salad bowl add the greens, almonds, asparagus, peas, and pasta and toss to coat with the dressing, Top with grilled chicken and parmesan shavings if desired and serve immediately!