Artichoke Salad with Pea Pods & Mushrooms

This artichoke salad with pea pods, mushrooms and toasted almonds in a creamy dill dressing is a great alternative to another lettuce salad.

Salads are wonderful.  And happily, (done right) they’re also healthy.  Pretty much as good as the proverbial “apple-a-day” in my mind. 

Yes, give me a good green salad like this  Spicy Italian Salad or Poached Pear Salad with Goat Cheese any day! 

But vegetable salads can be just as amazing.  And sometimes lettuce just needs a break! So today I decided to revisit an Artichoke Salad that was a staple of my youth! 

Where is this Artichoke Salad from?

This Artichoke Salad with Pea Pods & Mushrooms is based on a recipe from one of Milwaukee’s old fine dining establishments, the Grenadier Restaurant. 

I still remember the first time I went there, decades ago.  Elegant and polished, they required that all men wear ties and suit coat–and had a some or each available for anyone delinquent. 

A friend of my father’s was singing in a Carmina Burana production and had arranged for a group of friends to attend the show and dinner.  Since my mother had a conflict, teenaged me got to go in her place.  I felt sooo special—even before I tasted the amazing food.

Following many return visits, this recipe became a welcome addition to the family brunch and dinner repertoire!

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty.  With a light creamy dill dressing and savory artichokes, complimented by crunchy pea pods and sliced almonds, this salad is a taste delight!

Unique.  Variety is the spice of life.  And if you’re bringing this to an event, I can almost guarantee it won’t be a duplicate!

Practical.  While practicality and fine dining are not always synonymous, they are in this salad.  First, it’s very easy to make.  And second, unlike lettuce salads, it will keep for a couple days even after it’s dressed. 

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Artichoke hearts.  These provide the base for the salad.  I use jarred marinated artichokes which I drain and rinse first.  You can use an approximately 16 ounce jar or half of a large 33 ounce jar.  Non-marinated artichokes can be used as well. 
• Mushrooms.  These add flavor and variety to the dressing.  I have used white button or crimini in this.
• Snow Pea Pods.  These add flavor and crunch to the salad.
• Sliced Almonds.  These add flavor and crunch to the salad.
• Half & Half. This provides the creamy base for the dressing.  You can use a vegan substitute if you prefer.
• Red wine vinegar.  This offsets the creaminess with tart flavor.  You can substitute white wine vinegar or plain vinegar.  I don’t recommend apple cider or balsamic because the sweet notes don’t work as well. 
• Olive oil.  This adds flavor and richness to the dressing.
• Dijon Mustard, Dill, Garlic.  These add flavor to the dressing.
• Salt, pepper.  These serve as flavor enhancers.

Special Tools

• No special tools required!

Step by Step Directions

Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk or shake to blend. 

Rinse and drain the artichoke hearts.  Remove any tough outer leaves and cut into quarters as needed.

Remove the stings from the snow peas (see Tips and FAQs below if you’ve never done this) and slice the mushrooms.

Combine the artichoke hearts, pea pods and mushrooms, then toss with some of the dressing (I usually use about 1/3 to ½ of the dressing and save the rest).  Sprinkle with the sliced almonds. 

How to Serve

This is a lovely side salad, that works with any elegant or a casual entrée.  Just spoon and serve!

And if we are short on our five-a-day servings of fruits and vegetables, I’ll sometimes serve this on top of lettuce to up our count.  The dressing recipe makes an abundant amount, so there is plenty to use for lettuce as well. 

Serving over lettuce is also a great way to stretch the leftovers or add variety at a later meal.

Variations and Special Diets

For a vegan or non-dairy salad, go with a plant-based light cream.

And if I’ve got you in the mood for vegetable salads, don’t stop here!  Check out my Broccoli Bacon Salad or my Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad.

Leftovers

Unlike a dressed lettuce salad, there is no wilting with an artichoke salad!  So you can refrigerate it and enjoy leftovers up to a couple days after serving it.  And if you need to stretch your leftovers put them atop some lettuce like I suggest above. 

This makes a lot of dressing and I have always debated about cutting the dressing recipe in half.  But the leftover dressing is delicious on a lettuce salad later.  And if I serve this salad atop lettuce I go through extra dressing for that. 

Tips & FAQs

I did a couple things slightly different from the original recipe, including reducing the amount of raw mushrooms.  Mushrooms contain a potential toxin that is reduced by cooking–and sometimes the advisability of raw consumption is debated.  I’m not too worried but in the end I preferred the lighter amount anyway.

I use marinated artichoke hearts but have used plain canned artichokes as well.  In either case, I find that sometimes the outer “leaves” can be tough.  So I nibble a few of the outside pieces to check and remove as needed.

Are you a snow pea newbie?  If so, be aware that some of the pods may have a fibrous “string” that won’t add to your dining pleasure.  The string may extend down one or both seams of the pod, though it may not have developed in younger, more tender pea pods.  I make a small tear at the stem end then pull to see if there is a string or two to remove. 

I avoid the pre-sliced mushrooms in the store for this recipe.  You’re going to want your mushrooms to be pretty and I think I do a better job myself.

Artichoke Salad with Pea Pods & Mushrooms

Artichoke salad with pea pods, mushrooms and toasted almonds in a creamy dill dressing is a great alternative to lettuce salad. Or serve on lettuce!

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salad

Servings 4

Calories 208 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Salad:

• 14 ounce can artichoke hearts cut in half or quartered if large
• 1/2 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup pea pods strings removed, lightly blanched, then cooled
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup half & half or vegan substitute
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

 

• Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk or shake to blend.
• Rinse and drain the artichoke hearts.  Remove any tough outer leaves and cut into quarters if needed.
• Remove the stings from the snow peas (see Tips and FAQs if you’ve never done this) and slice the mushrooms.
• Combine the artichoke hearts, pea pods and mushrooms, then toss with some of the dressing (I usually use about 1/3 to ½ of the dressing and save the rest).  Sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

Notes

The actual calorie count is probably lower since there is likely to be leftover dressing (and run off).

Nutrition

Calories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 692mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 377IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 1mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from original, published on March 1, 2014.

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