This recipe for Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing is sponsored by RACO.

Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing in a dish ready for serving

You’ve got to eat your greens, even at Christmas! And this asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing looks festive, tastes delicious and can be made the day before!

Why slave over the stove on Christmas day?

All the cooking for this yummy salad is done the day before, meaning that on the day you just have to assemble it! What could be simpler?

Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressingin a dish with serving spoons next to it

Eat your greens

There is something for everyone in this salad, the broccoli and green beans are kid favourites and the asparagus makes the adults happy. Of course, if you don’t love asparagus you can swap it for extra broccolini or beans or even for zucchini batons!

Using goats cheese as a dressing

This is something I stumbled upon on holidays one time- we were camping and I forgot the salad dressing! But using goats cheese gives this dressing a delicious flavour, it’s easy to whisk and it works really well with lemon and dill.

mixing the dressing for Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing

Freshening up the next day

The reason this salad can be made in advance is because adding the dressing, dill and nuts the next day means it gets a quick refresh. If anything has started to become limper than you expect, then give it a quick refresh in icy cold water before adding the dressing and other elements.

adding the dill to the Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing

Choosing your pot

A big pasta pot works well for these- in fact if you don’t have one in your cupboard, then you need to get one. I use this RACO Contemporary one and I love it because it is light (therefore easy to carry around the kitchen), is easy to clean and has heatproof handles!

It is probably the most versatile and most used item in my kitchen. I love the RACO Contemporary range – you can check it out here (and use my code KIDGREDIENTS for 20% off site wide)

cooking the greens for Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing

Toasting the almonds

I did these in the oven on my RACO Aerolift rectangular cake tin, because I can give them a shake and they don’t fly out! It can just as easily be done in a frypan like this one. If you have the oven on though, the hands off way to do them is on a tray. The RACO Aerolift tray ensures there are no almonds sticking to it and it is super easy to clean up!

Ingredients

be sure to scroll to the recipe card for amounts

green beans
broccolini
asparagus (or cut thick ones in halves vertically)
goats cheese
lemons
olive oil
fresh dill, chopped
flaked almonds

Ingredients: beans, broccolini, asparagus, almonds, lemon, dill, olive oil and goats cheese

Method

Bring a large pot of water to the boil (I used this one)
In two batches blanch the greens for 7 minutes.
Plunge immediately into icy water.
Spread the almonds onto a RACO Aerolift rectangular cake tin and put in the oven for 5 minutes at 180 degrees (this can also be done in a frypan, make sure you watch them!)
(these can be refrigerated at this point for tomorrow).
In a jug combine the goats cheese, olive oil, half of the dill, the lemon juice and the lemon zest.
Pour over the veggies and dress with the extra dill and the toasted almond flakes.
Serve

Asparagus, bean and broccoli green salad with goats cheese dressing