Behold springtime in the form of a beautiful salad. This spring salad with radishes, peas, asparagus tips, hard boiled eggs, bacon and creamy yogurt dill dressing is a feast for the eyes and a treat to eat!

overhead of composed salad with dressing on it

I originally shared this recipe on May 29, 2013. I have updated the post, photos and improved the recipe to share it with you again today.

Why We Love This Spring Salad Recipe

This recipe for Spring Salad is one of the best ways to add fresh spring produce to your meal! And it is in the form of a beautiful composed salad. So if your usual salad doesn’t stray too far beyond Taco Salads, Caesar and Garden Salad, then this will be a fresh way to bring greens to the plate!

Trust me, the best way to enjoy fresh mesclun greens, tender spring mix salad greens and baby lettuces is lightly dressed and paired with the best of the season!

I picked out a variety of seasonal toppings to go with the greens. Right now the hens are bringing us farm fresh eggs, and the radishes are bursting out of the earth. Fresh asparagus and peas are also in the market now. They all go right on top of the greens!

a bowl with the dressing in it

Add on homemade yogurt dill dressing and some crisp cooked bacon and you’ve got a spring salad that is utterly irresistible!

Ingredients For Spring Salad

ingredients with labels for spring salad
  • Spring Greens: You can use any variety of spring mix salad greens for this recipe. Mesclun greens, baby greens, baby lettuces and spring greens all work well. You can also use head lettuce like buttercrunch lettuce. Look for greens free from wilt or showing signs of becoming slimy or rotten. Wash them in cold water, drain and spin dry before using them.
  • Radishes: Radishes are a crop that thrives in cooler temperatures before the heat of the summer. Look for interesting varieties such as Easter Egg radishes or French Breakfast. Wash them very well and remove the greens. Slice into thin slices for the salad. If using Watermelon radish, cut them into thin strips.
  • Asparagus Tips: For this salad I used just the tips of the asparagus, and since it is in season and super fresh right now, it is actually enjoyable to eat them raw! (Also check out this shaved asparagus salad if you don’t believe me!) Save the rest of the stalks to make this One Pot Chicken and Rice with Spring Vegetables, Asparagus Soup or add it to your veggie scraps for stock. If you prefer cooked asparagus, you could substitute cooked and chopped roasted asparagus or even grilled asparagus if the weather is nice out!
  • Green Peas: If fresh shelling peas are in season where you live they would make this spring salad extra special. If not you can use frozen and thawed peas like I did today. Or you could substitute another spring vegetable such as sugar snap peas or cooked and chilled fiddlehead ferns.
  • Bacon: We love the smoky taste of bacon with this salad. You can sub in another type of bacon or omit if you like
  • Greek Yogurt and Mayonnaise: To make the dressing lower in calories but still creamy and luscious I used a blend of Greek Yogurt and mayonnaise. I used a half cup of the yogurt and only two tablespoons of the dressing. This ratio works remarkably well. If you like a slightly richer dressing use full fat Greek yogurt (5%) and you will still save plenty of calories over straight mayonnaise.
  • Vinegar: For the spring mix salad dressing I use either white wine vinegar or cider vinegar. Either work well. If you can’t find either rice vinegar or even red wine vinegar work too. You can read more about the difference between vinegars here.
  • Fresh Dill: To give the dressing delicious fresh spring taste, I added in a small amount of chopped dill. You can use a couple pinches of dill weed if you are all out of fresh dill.
  • Salt and Pepper: To season.

How To Make Spring Mix Salad

the eggs in a saucepan for boiling

Step 1: Hard Boil The Eggs

We love hard boiled eggs around here. From Spicy Deviled Eggs to Spinach Salad, they are always a favorite easy source of protein. Here is my foolproof method for making hard boiled eggs.

  • Place the eggs in a small saucepan and run cool tap water over them. Cover them generously and set them over high heat.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer, and reduce the heat so that they continue to simmer gently. {If they bubble too vigorously, the shells can crack and the whites may leak out.}
  • As soon as they come to a simmer, set the timer for 10 minutes.
  • When the timer goes off, set the saucepan in the sink, gently pouring off some of the hot water. Then let the cold tap water run into the saucepan for one to two minutes to cool the eggs.
Peel the eggs

Step 2: Peel and Chop the Eggs

Peel the eggs and rinse them off to make sure there are no more shells attached. If you are having a hard time removing the shells peeling them under running water may help. Note that fresh eggs can be more difficult to peel!

Slice or chop the eggs to your liking.

cooking the bacon in the skillet

Step 3: Cook the Bacon

While the eggs are cooking, cook the bacon. You can cook the bacon in the microwave between layers of paper towel, or you can cook it on the stove top. To do so, set the slices in a medium skillet and then place the skillet over medium heat. Cook it while turning occasionally with a fork or tongs until it is browned and crispy on both sides.

crumbling the bacon on a towel

Step 4: Drain and Crumble The Bacon

Drain the excess fat off the bacon and let it cool on a plate lined with a couple layers of paper towels.

Once it is cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces.

whisking the dressing in a large glass bowl

Step 5: Make the Yogurt Dill Dressing

To make the dressing, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, dill, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.

Note: you can make this dressing up to 5 days in advance. Whisk before serving.

assembling the composed salad

Step 6: Assemble the Salads

  • Start with a layer of greens in the bottom of each bowl or plate.
  • Add on the asparagus, peas, radishes, eggs and bacon.
  • Just before serving, drizzle on the yogurt dill dressing.
Spring Salad in two bowls on a gray cutting board from overhead

Expert Tips

Variations To Try For This Spring Salad Recipe

Feel free to use your imagination when subbing in your favorite salad toppings. Just beware of the fact that tender spring greens can be weighed down and crushed easily, so it is best to serve them as a composed salad instead of tossed.

Serving Suggestions

Make Ahead and Storage

The dressing can be made ahead up to 5 days in advance. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Stir or whisk well before using. The salad can be prepared and composed one day ahead. Store in individual meal prep containers, or wrap individual composed salads with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

More Spring Salad Recipes To Try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
close up of composed salad with eggs, asparagus, radishes and yogurt dill dressing on top

Fresh Spring Salad


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

This Spring Salad hard boiled eggs, bacon, asparagus, peas and radishes is topped with a luscious yogurt dill dressing.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup Plain Low-Fat Greek Style yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 4 teaspoons minced shallot
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoon cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 8 cups mesclun greens, washed and spun dry
  • 1 cup asparagus tips
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed (or fresh shelled)
  • 2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup sliced radishes

Instructions

  1. Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer very gently for 10 minutes.
  2. Drain off hot water, and place pot under cold running water for several minutes to stop egg from cooking. Crack and peel egg. Slice or chop the egg.
  3. Meanwhile cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, turning occasionally until it is browned and crispy on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes.
  4. Drain the bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Crumble the bacon.
  5. Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, shallot, dill, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
  6. Arrange salad greens on four plates. Sprinkle bacon over the greens. Arrange asparagus, peas, radishes and the egg over the top of the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salads. Extra dressing will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

The dressing can be made ahead up to 5 days in advance. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Stir or whisk well before using. The salad can be prepared and composed one day ahead. Store in individual meal prep containers, or wrap individual composed salads with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 1/2 cups
  • Calories: 194
  • Sugar: 6 g
  • Fat: 11g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 16 g
  • Fiber: 7 g
  • Protein: 11 g