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A fresh vegan spring panzanella salad in a ceramic bowl, featuring asparagus, sugar snap peas, radishes, salad leaves, and crispy za’atar croutons, tossed in a creamy lemon garlic dressing. Served on a rustic wooden table.

Spring Panzanella Salad with Asparagus and Za'atar Croutons

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 10 mins | Total: 25 mins | Quantity: serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

Za’atar Croutons Ingredients:

  • 2 thick slices bread – can be fresh or stale
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons za’atar (see post for alternatives)
  • pinch each salt and pepper

Spring Salad Ingredients:

  • 6 asparagus spears
  • 180g (6 ounces) sugar snap peas
  • 1/4 of a cucumber
  • 10 radishes
  • few leaves of fresh basil and mint
  • 1 bag of salad leaves (I used mixed butterhead salad and arugula/rocket)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 85g (1/3 cup) vegan plain yoghurt
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • pinch each of salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 170 Fan / 190 C / 375 F / Gas 5
  2. Tear the bread into bite sized pieces and pop into a bowl with the oil, za'atar salt and pepper and toss together. Tip onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes until golden and crisp
  3. Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan. I do this over a very high heat (for speed) but watch them like a hawk. Toss the pan frequently. You can also toast them in the oven when you do the croutons - again keeping a keen eye on them!
  4. Trim any woody parts of the stem from the asparagus then cut each spear into 3-4 pieces. Remove any tough string from the sugar snap peas.
  5. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus and sugar snap peas for 4-5 minutes until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold water then drain again. Tip into a large bowl.
  6. Dice the cucumber, slice the spring onions and radishes and add to the bowl. Shred the fresh basil and mint leaves and add those to the bowl along with the salad leaves
  7. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing then pour that over the vegetables. Toss everything together until well coated
  8. Transfer to a serving bowl, scatter over the nuts and croutons and enjoy!

Recipe by The Cook & Him at https://thecookandhim.com/recipes/spring-panzanella-salad-with-asparagus-and-zaatar-croutons/