Primavera Salad with Spicy Grapefruit Vinaigrette
A refreshing salad featuring fresh vegetables, creamy butterbeans, quinoa, and a tangy, spicy grapefruit vinaigrette. Perfect as a main or side dish.
Servings
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 small bunch asparagus (approx. 10 spears or 200–250 g)
- 1 corn cob (approx. 3/4 cup or 125 g of edible corn)
- 1.5 tsp olive oil divided
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup quinoa cooked
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 cucumber finely chopped
- 1.5 cups butter beans cooked
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted
- ½ grapefruit
- ½ cup fresh mint finely chopped
Spicy Grapefruit Vinaigrette
- ½ grapefruit juiced
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes more to taste
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ shallot finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Prepare the asparagus: Trim the woody ends off the asparagus. Separate the stems from the tips. Cut the stems into 1-inch pieces. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the stems and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tips and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Prepare the corn: Trim the corn by removing the husk and silk. Stand the cob upright on a cutting board and carefully slice downward with a sharp knife to remove the kernels.Heat ½ tsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the corn kernels, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden.
- Prepare the grapefuit: Peel the grapefruit and cut it in half. Juice one half for the vinaigrette. For the other half, remove as much of the white pith as possible, then separate the segments and roughly chop them.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl or blender, combine grapefruit juice, chili flakes, maple syrup, olive oil, shallot, and Dijon mustard. Blend or whisk until smooth.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the arugula, quinoa, corn, asparagus, avocado, cucumber, butterbeans, toasted pine nuts, grapefruit, and mint. Pour over the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Corn: You can use frozen corn instead of fresh to save time—no need to cook, just thaw and add.
Asparagus: If asparagus isn’t available, broccolini or chopped broccoli works well as a substitute.
How to Cook Quinoa: Rinse the dry quinoa thoroughly to remove bitterness. Add ⅓ cup quinoa and ⅔ cup water to a small pot. (Optional: add a pinch of salt or a little vegetable stock powder for extra flavor.) Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the water is fully absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Asparagus: If asparagus isn’t available, broccolini or chopped broccoli works well as a substitute.
How to Cook Quinoa: Rinse the dry quinoa thoroughly to remove bitterness. Add ⅓ cup quinoa and ⅔ cup water to a small pot. (Optional: add a pinch of salt or a little vegetable stock powder for extra flavor.) Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the water is fully absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Nutritional Information - Per Serving
Calories 624kcal | Carbohydrates 69g | Protein 23g | Fat 22g | Sodium 609mg | Fiber 23g | Vitamin A 231IU | Vitamin C 58mg | Calcium 186mg | Iron 10mg