Broad Bean & Asparagus Cauliflower Rice Salad

A fabulously light and crunchy salad with broad beans, asparagus, apple and cauliflower rice. This dish is filled with fresh herbs, mint, parsley, and coriander and drizzled with a lemony vinaigrette.

This lovely little broad bean recipe features some of my favourite seasonal vegetables and herbs.

Young smaller freshly picked broad beans are earthy and slightly sweet in flavour. The outer casing has a slightly bitter taste. Remove the casing with your fingers to enjoy the vibrant green tender inner bean raw.

Serve at Summer picnics, packed lunches, or as a side dish. I love this dish at lunch over leafy greens with a nice cup of green tea. Yum!

This was inspired by my cauliflower fried rice and raw asparagus salad.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions & Variations
• Equipment & Storage
• Top tips
• 📖 Recipe
• Food safety
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

• cauliflower
• broad beans
• asparagus
• apple (not showing in the photo, oops, sorry!)
• spring onion
• fresh herbs - parsley, mint and coriander
• extra virgin olive oil
• lemon
• dijon mustard
• maple syrup
• salt and pepper

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.

Instructions

To make this cauliflower rice salad follow the steps below in conjunction with the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Hint: I like to add half the lemony dressing the same time as adding the vegetables, as it helps keep the cauliflower light, evenly coated and flavourful. Keep the leftover vinaigrette for serving or store it in the fridge for a few days to accompany other meals.

Don't forget to do a taste test as you go along and adjust your seasoning if necessary.

Substitutions & Variations

• Cauliflower rice - use sprouted quinoa instead
• Broad beans - use fresh peas or sliced sugar snap peas instead of broad beans
• Apple - swap out the apple for chopped, de-stoned cherries or apricots
• Lemon - how about using freshly squeezed orange or pink grapefruit?

If you want to add an additional flavour or two to this recipe:

• Spicy - add finely chopped fresh chilli and some ground cumin
• Deluxe - add a dairy-free cheese and slices of rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes
• Creamy - swap the dressing for a creamy alternative like a vegan green goddess dressing instead

Equipment & Storage

I use a food processor with an s-blade to prepare the cauliflower rice in just under a minute. Use a handheld grater if you prefer.

See my post on How to make raw cauliflower rice for an easy-to-follow guide using either a food processor or a handheld grater.

This dish is excellent for meal prep and stores well for use during the week. Keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge when covered. Not suitable for freezing.

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📖 Recipe

Food safety

Freshly picked broad beans (also known as fava beans) can be eaten raw when at their best. Select bright green, crisp feeling young pods and avoid any that are soft feeling with brown or black markings, which may mean they're a little old or unsuitable for eating raw.

If you prefer, then cook the broad beans instead before eating them. Add them to the dish cooked instead of raw. The older, more giant beans can be tough to eat and should be cooked.

Most beans must be cooked to eat safely and can be toxic if eaten raw. If you are sensitive to fava beans or have stomach issues after eating them you should stop eating them and visit your GP to rule out favism.

In rare cases some people are allergic to broad beans which is known as favism disease.

Do not eat dried beans raw. All dried beans must be soaked and cooked properly before being eaten. See packets or speak to suppliers for details.