Arugula, Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette is the perfect way to kick off spring! Peppery arugula, roasted asparagus, soft-boiled eggs and a lively lemon vinaigrette make the perfect side dish salad for a spring evening.
What's more spring-inspired than eggs? No Easter or Passover is complete without them.
Arugula, Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette is the perfect side dish salad or if you add another egg, a hearty main course salad. Pair it with a smooth and creamy tomato or carrot soup and you've got dinner!
But first, we need to cook some eggs!
How to make Arugula, Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette:
Anyone who has ever eaten an egg knows there are numerous ways to cook one. If you're ordering them in a diner, there are a dozen or so ways you could request them. However, did you know the 100 folds in a chef's hat represent all the number of ways a chef knows how to cook an egg?
Cooking the eggs for this Arugula, Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette recipe was a real learning experience for me because I had never done a "soft-boiled" egg before. I've done tons of hard-boiled eggs for deviled eggs and for a tuna salad that is a client favorite.
When it comes to making hard-boiled eggs easy to peel, you'll find lots of information, tips and old wives tales. Some recommend not using fresh eggs. Um. Bleh. Who wants less-than-fresh eggs? Some recommend salt, vinegar or baking soda in the water. How does the egg know what's in the water?
How to make easy-peel hard-cooked eggs:
Peeling eggs used to drive me and my mother-in-law crazy until we discovered this trick from Bon Appetit
- If you want eggs that will peel perfectly, you need to start with eggs that are good and cold out of the refrigerator.
- Carefully place them into boiling water. When that membrane between the egg white and the shell hits the boiling water, it will immediately separate from the white and adhere to the shell.
- Then, shock in ice water. Ta-Daaa! Life-changing egg moment!
How long to cook eggs for this recipe:
When testing for this recipe, I dropped them into boiling water and cooked one for 8 minutes, another for 4 minutes, then yet a third for 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
The third produced this lovely result! The yolk was "set" around the edges but the interior was still soft, creamy and runny. Yolk perfection!
Now, not everyone likes a runny yolk so if you boil them for 10-12 minutes, you'll have a well-set yolk. Keep in mind that a runny yolk is not appropriate for children, the elderly or anyone else with a less-than-active immune system.
Then:
- While the eggs are boiling, roast some asparagus...
- Mix up the creamy lemon vinaigrette that starts with the goodness of Greek yogurt....
- Place arugula on a plate, top with the asparagus and eggs and drizzle with the creamy lemon vinaigrette!
So delicious! So springy!
For more great asparagus recipes, be sure to try my:
Arugula Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 1 bunch (1-pound) thin asparagus - tough ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 container (5-ounce) baby arugula
Vinaigrette
- ½ cup Greek yogurt - preferably full-fat
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon - zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- Cayenne pepper - to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare an ice bath.
- Bring a small saucepan full of water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs. Cook 6 minutes and 30 seconds or to desired doneness. Transfer to the bowl of ice water. Let stand for 2-3 minutes. Peel and cut in half.
- Place asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Roast for 5-6 minutes.
Vinaigrette
- Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. (It may not look like it's coming together at first, but keep whisking.)
To Serve
- Place arugula on a salad plate. Top with a fourth of the roasted asparagus. Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Add two egg halves per plate and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Alyssa says
Any thoughts for a dairy free replacement for the Greek yogurt in the dressing?
This sounds so good! Can’t wait to try it!
Carol says
Hi, Alyssa, Thanks much for your question. I would use something like Tofutti Vegan Sour Cream. If it needs a little more tanginess, you could add more lemon juice. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
susan | the wimpy vegetarian says
I frequently feel like peeling eggs is a Zen meditation. Or it could be, if I didn't get so annoyed when the shell peels off one tiny piece at a time. I'm totally trying your method. And trying this delicious, simple salad too. It's right up my alley, and I'm craving asparagus these days! Thanks so much for hosting us this week!!!
Carol says
Thank you, Susan! You're right about the peeling eggs thing! Hope you enjoy!
Beth says
I really love this recipe and the instruction for making a soft boiled egg! Thank you! And I might just sneak a preserved lemon in this recipe too 😉
Carol says
Thanks, Beth! A preserved lemon sounds amazing!
Anonymous says
Sarah Walker Caron says
This salad is so pretty! And all those spring flavors! I make hard-boiled eggs a little differently, but the cold water shock at the end is a MUST for me too.
Carol says
Thanks, Sarah! There definitely are many different ways to make hard-boiled eggs. If you've got a method that works for you then you may not want to change it!
Laura @motherwouldknow says
Like you, I have had a devil of a time finding a way to cook and peel eggs that satisfies me. Although I'm currently enamored of a different method from yours - I steam them, then shock the eggs in ice cold water, let them sit there for a few minutes, then peel, I am fine with any method that works. And I'm awed by the beauty of your finished result, and the salad they surround. They are almost too gorgeous to eat - but not quite. I can't wait to try this dish.
Carol says
Thank you, Laura! Now, steaming I haven't tried. Ever since we got the method to work where we place cold eggs into boiling water, then shocking them, I haven't ventured further. Thanks again!
Jane says
Such a gorgeous salad and the perfect way to celebrate spring produce showing up at the farmer's market!
Carol says
Thank you, Jane!
Karen says
Wow that salad is gorgeous! Thanks for the great theme. I'm definitely going to have to try your egg boiling method!
Carol says
Thank you, Karen!
Tamara Andersen says
YUM! This salad is so gorgeous, and looks perfect for spring Carol! I've got to remember your tip for boiling eggs, and they're always a source of frustration... I can't wait to make this spring-y salad. 🙂
Carol says
Hi, Tamara, They really can be frustrating, but that method works like a charm! Hope you enjoy!
Anonymous says
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
I LOVE spring asparagus, this is a beautiful dish and so simple. I've got something similar in the works and I know that I'll have nothing but asparagus, egg, and prosciutto for dinner that day, nothing else!
Carol says
Thanks so much, Barb! Prosciutto would be a great addition to this salad!
Ansh says
I did not know about putting cold eggs in boiling water. We were always told to put cold eggs in cold water which didn't work until I just steamed them or pressure cooked them. I am so thrilled to learn this nugget of information to try out 😀
Great looking salad!!
Carol says
Thanks, Ansh! Yes, that's how we always did it, too and always ran into problems. The shell slips right off doing it this way.
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Liz says
This salad is the epitome of springtime! Beautiful and delicious, too! Thanks for the tip on boiling eggs---the Instant Pot does a fabulous job, but your method doesn't require me hauling that out of the pantry 🙂