This Crunchy Spring Greens Salad will perk you right up! Though it’s made with basic ingredients, the end result is anything but! Whisk together a simple lemon-dijon vinaigrette then toss over a bright and vibrant medley of seasonal spring veggies including: crisp cucumber, red onion, asparagus and peas tossed with peppery arugula, fresh mozzarella and toasted sunflower seeds.

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Seasonal Ingredients

• Salted Cucumber: Toss in salt to draw out the excess moisture.
• Mellowed Onion: Submerge in water first to tone down the pungent flavor.
• Blanched Spring Vegetables: Asparagus, snap peas & English peas
• Peppery Greens: Fresh arugula (aka rocket)
• Lemon Dressing: Olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon, mint, salt & pepper
• Sunflower Seeds: Toasted or roasted, ideally
• Fresh Cheese: Dice or tear up fresh mozzarella

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Bite-Sized Recipe Steps

For a more in-depth breakdown with step-by-step pics, scroll down to the very bottom of this post, past the recipe card.

1. Salt Cucumber: Diced and de-seed the cucumber then toss in a bowl with salt. Set aside.
2. Soak Onions: Cover thinly sliced onions with cold water then set aside.
3. Vinaigrette: Whisk together then set aside.
4. Blanche Veggies: Prep an ice bath and set next to a pot of boiling water.
   • Boil the asparagus first, then transfer to the ice water. Boil snap peas, then english peas next before adding to the ice bath.
5. Drain & Dry: Strain water from the blanched veggies then lay then blot dry with paper towels. Rinse both the salted cucumbers and soaked onions and dry those too.
6. Combine: Add everything to a large salad bowl and toss together until fully combined. Taste and season as you see fit.

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Substitutions

Lemon Juice >> Vinegar: Instead of lemon, try red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar. Balsamic vinegar would work too, but will change the taste more drastically.

Red Onion >> Shallot: Shallots are typically sweeter and more mellow than red onion so just slice it up and throw it in the salad – no soaking needed. I recommend using 2 at least as they’re usually smaller than onions.

Sunflower Seeds >> Other Nuts & Seeds: Almonds are a great sunflower seed substitute, but feel free to use whatever nuts and seeds you have or like. Roasted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are also a great nut-free option here. Also, pine nuts!

Cheese >> Swap or Omit: Swap the mozzarella out for feta cheese or goat cheese. You can also add some grated parmesan at the end for a little more umami flavor. For a dairy free/vegan salad – just skip the cheese altogether.

Arugula >> Salad Greens: Feel free to use any variety of fresh spring greens like baby spinach, crisp lettuce, watercress, etc.

Mint >> Other Fresh Herbs: Add or swap the mint for fresh basil and/or parsley.

Egg: Add chopped up hardboiled eggs for some extra protein.

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More Gluten Free Spring Salad Recipes

• Sweet Shallot Chickpea Salad
• Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad
• Smashed Avocado Chicken Salad
• Tomato Arugula Salad with Walnuts
• Crispy Rice Salad with Lemony Chickpeas & Cucumber

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this Crunchy Spring Mix Salad Recipe! I’d love to hear what you made with it and how it turned out! Please leave a comment and review with your thoughts and suggestions for me and future readers.

Recipe

Crunchy Spring Greens Salad

Yield: 6-8 servings Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

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Make a simple lemon-dijon vinaigrette & toss over a bright & vibrant medley of seasonal spring veggies mozzarella and sunflower seeds!

Ingredients

Vinaigarette

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• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (45 ml)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (15 ml)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard (10 g)
• 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each

Salad

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• 1 medium or large cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded scooped out and diced
• kosher salt or sea salt
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (115 g)
• 10 oz asparagus stalks, woody ends removed and cut into 1 inch pieces (280 g)
• 6 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch slices (170 g)
• 1 cup English peas in their pods (6 oz | 175g)
• 4 cups arugula/rocket (about 120g)
• 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds (70 g)
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced or torn (170 g)

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Cucumber: Season cucumber slices with kosher salt and set in a fine-mesh strainer or colander over the sink or a bowl. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
2. Onion: Meanwhile, place red onions in a 1- to 2-quart container and cover with cold water. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
3. Vinaigrette: Add olive oil, lemon juice, zest, mustard, mint, salt and pepper to a bowl or cup and whisk together until fully combined. Set aside.
4. Blanching Prep: Bring a large pot of salted water (at least 1 tbsp salt) to a boil. While you wait for the water to heat up: prepare an ice bath. Add cold water and ice to a large bowl and place it next to the stove top.
5. Asparagus: Add the asparagus to the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil (temperature will drop after you first add the veg). Let boil for 3 minutes then use a strainer or slotted spoon to remove the asparagus and immediately add it to the ice bath.
6. Peas: Bring the water back to a boil then add the snap peas. Boil 1 minute, then add the english peas. Boil another minute then strain out all the peas and add to the ice bath.
7. Drain, Rinse & Dry: Strain and transfer the blanched vegetables to a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry. Set aside. Rinse both the salted cucumbers and soaked onions and pat dry as well.
8. Combine: Add everything to a large bowl, including the vinaigrette, and toss together to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as you see fit and enjoy.

Notes

• Leftovers: Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge 4-5 days.
• If you're using a seedless cucumber variety (Persian or hot house), don't worry about scooping out the insides. Persian cucumbers are much smaller, so use 2.
• You don't have to salt the cucumber if you don't want to but I do recommend you soak the onion to mellow out the flavor. If you don't want to soak the onion, you can swap it out with a couple of sliced shallots instead.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Salads Cuisine: Gluten Free

How to Make this Spring Greens Salad Mix with Step-By-Step Photos

Start with the cucumber and onion prep.

Cucumber: Add the diced and deseeded cucumber to a bowl and toss with sea salt or kosher salt. Set aside and let the salt draw out the excess moisture.

Onion: Add sliced onion to another small bowl. Cover with cold water, then set aside to drain and dry later.

Vinaigrette: Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint, salt and pepper in a small bowl or jar. Whisk together until well combined then set aside.

Asparagus: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Make sure to use enough water to fully cover the veggies.

While the water heats up, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Keep it near the stove top so you can quickly transfer your vegetables from the hot water to cold ice bath after boiling.

Add the asparagus – do it gently so avoid splashing yourself with hot water. The added veggies will cause the water temperature to drop, so wait for the water to come back to a boil then leave for about 3 minutes until bright green, crisp, and a little tender.

Use a strainer or slotted spoon to scoop out the boiled asparagus, then immediately add them to the ice bath to stop cooling.

Snap Peas & English Peas: Bring the water back to a rapid boil to blanch the peas.

First, add the snap peas to the water and boil for about a minute.

Then, add the English peas and boil both together for another minute.

You can (and would normally) boil these separately, but I lumped them together to save a bit of time and effort.

Ice Bath: Strain out the peas then transfer them to the ice bath to stop cooking.

Dry: Drain, rinse and dry before mixing together in a salad.

Drain then dry the blanche veggies. Rinse both the salted cucumber and soaked onions then blot dry.

Combine Salad Ingredients: Add the dried veggies to a large salad bowl along with the toasted sunflower seeds, mozzarella, arugula and dressing.

Toss & Taste: Toss together until fully combined – make sure everything is evenly mixed and dressing in the vinaigrette. Taste your salad and season with a bit more salt and pepper if needed and enjoy!