This weeks Food Matters Project is being hosted by Adrienne from Adrienne Eats. Adrienne chose “Roasted Asparagus and White Bean Soup”.

It looks delicious but I am just not feeling more soup. I made two soups in the last week (a Spring Thai Chicken Noodle and a Bulgur and Turkey Sausage – both coming to the blog in the next couple of weeks) and dare I say it, I may be done with soup season for a little while. Hard to believe because I have been known to eat soup and a salad on a 90 degree day but I *think* I may officially need a mini-soup break.

The ingredients were screaming salad to me so I decided to reinvent this dish into a lovely Spring salad using all of the original ingredients except the Parmesan Cheese and broth and swapping White Wine Vinegar for White Wine.

OK this salad is AMAZING! No joke.

This is one of the best dishes I’ve made in a long time.  Plus it was incredibly easy!

This dish is perfect for entertaining because you can make it ahead of time and serve room temperature or chilled.  It’s also perfect for a Spring or Summer picnic or day-trip.

Yeah, it’s pretty much perfect for anytime of the day when you are hungry – let’s not kid ourselves like we need a special event or reason.

I hope you make this!

To see what other creative dishes the Food Matters Project members conjured up this week, click here.

NOTES:

  • Optional Smaller Serving Size: 3 Points Plus (as a side dish) — Recipe Makes 10 Servings — Individual Serving is 1/2 heaping cup.
  • Definitely try to use white wine vinegar – the flavor is part of what makes this so great!
  • If this is your first time cooking with leeks, read this quick article on how to properly clean them.  This is important because they are dirty in places you just don’t expect! (I show two leeks in the photo below but I only used 1).
The Food Matters Project: Roasted Asparagus, Baby Potato + White Bean Salad
 
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Prep:

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5 Points Plus Per Serving — Recipe Makes 5 Servings — Individual Serving is 1 Heaping Cup
Serves:: 5

Ingredients
  • 6 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound baby potatoes, cleaned and quartered
  • 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary (fresh)
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
  • 1 leek (white and light green only), cleaned, halved and cut into ¼” pieces
  • 1½ tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1½ cups cooked white beans (or 1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Instructions
PREP:
  1. Clean potatoes and quarter lengthwise.
  2. Remove rosemary from woody stem and chop. Measure 2 tablespoons and set aside.
  3. Wash asparagus and trim ends. Cut into thirds or approximately 2″ to 3″ pieces.
  4. Clean leek (see NOTE), halve and cut into ¼” pieces.
  5. Chop garlic, measure beans (rinse and drain if canned).
COOK:
  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Grab a gallon size ziploc bag and toss in potatoes, rosemary, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper and 2 teaspoons of oilve oil. Seal and shake to coat. Evenly distribute on one of the baking sheets.
  3. Using the same ziploc bag, toss in the asparagus, leek and garlic with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Seal and shake to coat. Spread out on the other baking sheet.
  4. Place both trays in the oven and cook asparagus tray for 25 to 30 minutes until asparagus is roasted and soft. Leeks and garlic should have some brown and be semi-caramelized.
  5. Cook potato tray for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes have brown spots like this.
  6. Leave both trays out to cool (at least 15 to 20 minutes). Once cool, combine with beans, remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil and white wine vinegar. Taste and add more freshly ground pepper to taste.
  7. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled. Enjoy!

LEFTOVER BREAKFAST IDEA:

Toss leftover Salad into a non-stick frying pan with 2 teaspoons of oil or butter.  Pour beaten eggs over, cover and cook on a low light until eggs are thoroughly cooked through.  Instant breakfast fabulousness!

 

Related Recipes:

IMG_4129-1The Food Matters Project: Roasted Pepper and Almond Pesto IMG_4269-1The Food Matters Project: Sesame Orange Beef with Bean Sprouts + Green Beans IMG_4693The Food Matters Project: Three Bean + Chicken Sausage Cassoulet