Name: Shaved Fennel and Asparagus Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked; 1 bunch asparagus, shaved into ribbons; 1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced (1.5 mm setting on mandoline); 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (1.5 mm setting on mandoline); 1.8 ounces (50 g) Manchego, thinly sliced; Juice of one lemon; Zest of one lemon; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

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This shaved fennel and asparagus salad recipe combines quinoa, Manchego cheese, red onion, and a zesty lemon dressing.

It’s super refreshing and makes a great light lunch or side salad. For dinner, you can serve it with Baked Salmon with Lemon or alongside a heartier vegetable dish like roasted cauliflower.

What Makes this Salad Great

If you’ve never eaten asparagus raw you are going to love it. It tastes like the color green - it's so fresh. Definitely worth trying.

Asparagus has a rich, delicious flavor, which pairs beautifully with crisp, sweet fennel and the caramel-esque Manchego cheese. This recipe uses mixed quinoa (red and white) because it has a delicious nutty flavor.

Ingredients for this Shaved Asparagus Salad

If you’d like to make this salad, you’ll need a few ingredients!

½ cup quinoa, uncooked
1 bunch asparagus
1 bulb fennel
½ red onion
1.8 ounces (50 g) Manchego
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

How to Make a Shaved Asparagus Salad

Cook the Quinoa. Combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork.
Combine all the ingredients. Combine asparagus, fennel, onion, and Manchego on a large plate. Sprinkle quinoa across the salad.
Create the dressing. Combine ingredients for the dressing and dress the salad. Serve immediately.

Other Asparagus Recipes You’ll Love

If you enjoy asparagus recipes, check out these other delicious recipes featuring asparagus.

Tips for this recipe

I highly recommend this mandoline to shave the asparagus into consistently thin strips. I also recommend these cut protection gloves which will keep your fingers safe!
If you'd prefer to use a vegetable peeler for this recipe, I have this one from Rosle and it's wonderful!
This recipe is very flexible - you can substitute other types of cheese if you don't like Manchego cheese(feta and pecorino would both be great).

I do hope you enjoy this fresh, simple side salad recipe. It's easy, quick, and healthy - but most importantly it's delicious!

Yield: 6 servings

Shaved Fennel and Asparagus Salad

This shaved fennel and asparagus salad recipe combines quinoa, Manchego cheese, red onion, and a zesty lemon dressing. It’s super refreshing and makes a great light lunch or side salad.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup quinoa, uncooked
1 bunch asparagus, shaved into ribbons
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced (1.5 mm setting on mandoline)
½ red onion, thinly sliced (1.5 mm setting on mandoline)
1.8 ounces (50 g) Manchego, thinly sliced
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork.
Combine asparagus, fennel, onion, and Manchego on a large plate.
Sprinkle quinoa across the salad.
Combine lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper and whisk briskly to combine. Dress the salad and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 362mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g

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