Grilled Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Salad

This Grilled Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Salad with a Basil Vinaigrette will be your next favorite go-to side dish.

This Grilled Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Salad with a Basil vinaigrette has everything you need. I am obsessed with putting cooked, hearty veggies in salads. It’s more filling, and it doubles as a veggie side dish, too. If you’re hosting, now you only need to make a protein and maybe a starchy side.

Everything in this salad works. The char from the veggies, the nutty walnuts, the creamy goat cheese, and the herby, tangy, basil vinaigrette. They all complement each other well and work together so that every bite of this salad will be delicious.

If the weather is good, I will be cooking things on my grill. And sometimes, it’s just too hot to turn on your oven. That’s where I got the inspiration for this salad. The charred flavor from the grilled veggies brings another layer of added flavor here.

What to Serve with This Dish:

Virtually any protein will go well with this Grilled Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Salad. Plus, you can use the basil vinaigrette as a sauce for proteins, too, not just as a dressing for the salad. I would recommend making my Lemony Chicken with Olives and Capers or my Fluke Cooked in Parchment with Zucchini and Tomatoes.

Ingredient Notes:

• Portobello Mushrooms – Make sure to get whole mushrooms, not pre-cut.
• Asparagus – I used a regular sized asparagus here. Not the pencil asparagus, and not the jumbo. However, you certainly can use them. The pencil asparagus will cook for less time than the recipe states. If using jumbo asparagus, I would recommend cutting them in half lengthwise before grilling.
• Roasted Walnuts – Buy them pre-roasted or buy them raw and roast yourself.
• Goat Cheese – Meredith Dairy makes my absolute favorite goat cheese. It’s truly amazing and will make your salad even better. You can but it from Whole Foods Market here.

Grilled Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Salad with a Basil Vinaigrette

This Grilled Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Salad with a Basil Vinaigrette will be your next favorite go-to side dish.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Salad, Veggie Side

Servings 2 as a main, 4 people as a side

Equipment

• Outdoor Grill or Grill Pan
• 1 Sheet Pan
• Blender

Ingredients

  

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For the Salad:

• 2 portobello mushrooms gills cleaned and stem trimmed
• 1 bunch asparagus 1 ½ inches trimmed off the ends
• Avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 oz. arugula
• ½ cup roasted walnuts roughly chopped
• 3 oz. goat cheese crumbled
• Basil Vinaigrette to taste

For the Basil Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup packet basil leaves
• ¾ oz. chives cut into 2 inch pieces
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup avocado oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

For the Salad:

• If using an outdoor grill, preheat the grill to medium-high heat. If using a grill pan, heat when ready to cook over medium-high heat. If using your oven, position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 400°F.
• On a sheet pan, combine the mushrooms and asparagus with a large drizzle of avocado oil (enough to nicely coat the veggies), the garlic powder, and a big pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Grill the portobellos for 12-15 minutes, flipping in between and as needed, until charred and tender. Grill the asparagus for 5-8 minutes, flipping as needed, until charred and cooked through. You still want them to have a slight bite to them, they shouldn’t be totally flimsy. Transfer them back to the sheet pan and let cool to room temperature.
• If using your oven, prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add portobellos first. After 5 minutes, add asparagus, and roast for an additional 12-15 minutes, until both vegetables are tender. Let cool to room temperature.
• Cut the portobellos in half, then thinly slice them crosswise. Cut the asparagus into 1 ½ inch pieces.
• In a salad bowl, combine the arugula, ¾ of the walnuts, ¾ of the goat cheese, grilled portobello mushrooms, and the asparagus. Toss with as much of the Basil Vinaigrette as you’d like and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and goat cheese on top and serve.

For the Basil Vinaigrette:

• In a blender, puree the basil, chives, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, Dijon, honey, olive oil, and half the avocado oil until as smooth as possible. With the blender running on a low speed, slowly drizzle in the remaining avocado oil. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Notes

The Grilled Portobello Mushrooms and Asparagus can be grilled up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The Basil Vinaigrette can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once the salad is dressed, it’s best served immediately. 

Keyword easy, Grilling, healthy, summer

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