Easy Spring Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This spring salad is fresh, crisp, and built around simple seasonal ingredients that actually taste good together. Y’all, this has tender butter lettuce, sweet peas, crunchy cucumbers and radishes, creamy avocado, feta, and fresh herbs, all finished with a light lemon champagne vinaigrette. It works just as well on your Easter table as it does for a quick lunch or an easy weeknight side. Nothing complicated here, just good ingredients layered in a way that makes sense.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer/Lunch/Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: spring salad

Servings: servings

Author: Ashley McCrary

Ingredients

Salad

2 large heads Butter Lettuce leaves gently removed, rinsed, and dried
1 cup frozen peas blanched
2 Persian cucumbers sliced
5-6 radishes trimmed and sliced
1 ripe avocado sliced
¼ cup chopped chives
2-3 tbsps sunflower seeds
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
4 oz feta crumbled, reg or reduced fat (can sub dairy-free cheese of choice)

Dressing

½ cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
11/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp shallot finely minced
2 tbsp Champagne vinegar
2 tsp honey adjust to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Blanch the peas: Add frozen peas to a pot of boiling water. Cook 2–3 minutes, until tender but still vibrant. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately place in ice water to stop cooking and preserve color.
Prepare the lettuce: Gently separate Butter Lettuce leaves, rinse, and dry thoroughly. Place in a large serving bowl or platter.
Assemble the salad: Scatter the blanched peas evenly over the lettuce. Add the cucumbers and radishes. Crumble the feta over the top, then place the avocado slices evenly on the salad. Sprinkle with chopped chives and sunflower seeds, and finish with fresh basil leaves for garnish.
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced shallot, Champagne vinegar, and honey. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (have one photo of the dressing)
Serve: Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad just before serving, or serve on the side. Enjoy immediately, or store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

Swap feta for goat cheese if you want something a little creamier.
Leave out the cheese completely for a dairy-free version.
Use pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds instead of sunflower seeds.
Add grilled chicken if you want more protein.
Make sure the lettuce is completely dry before you assemble. If there's water sitting on the leaves, the dressing won't stick, and things can get soggy fast.
Don't overcook the peas. You want them tender but still bright and slightly firm. Two to three minutes is really all they need.
Slice the avocado right before serving so it stays fresh and doesn't brown.
If you're serving this for a gathering, layer everything on a platter instead of tossing it. It looks so much prettier and holds up longer while folks are going back for seconds.

Nutrition