Parma salad with melon dressing

3
Points®
Total Time
11 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
1 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
A vibrant medley of vegetables and Parma ham (or prosciutto) is deliciously topped with a unique melon-based dressing. The refreshing dressing features diced cantaloupe, tarragon vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and a touch of red pepper flakes for a little bit of heat. We utilize the microwave here for added convenience—the asparagus gets crisp-tender in the microwave in just 1 minute. But if you don’t have a microwave oven, you can lightly cook the asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water for 5 minutes until your preferred consistency is reached. Toss that asparagus with some mesclun, ham, and bell peppers, and you've got a beautiful, colorful salad ready to go in just about 10 minutes.

Ingredients

Asparagus

6¾ oz, 12 spears

Prosciutto

¼ pound(s), shredded

Water

1 Tbsp

Lettuce

8 cup(s), chopped, mesclun

Bell pepper

1 item(s), medium, red, seeded and thinly sliced

Cantaloupe

1 cup(s), diced, chopped

Vinegar

2 Tbsp, tarragon variety

Olive oil

2 tsp

Table salt

¼ tsp

Sugar

¼ tsp

Crushed red pepper flakes

tsp

Instructions

  1. Snap off the bottoms of the asparagus spears. Combine the spears and water in a covered microwavable dish and microwave on High 1 minute. Cut the asparagus into chunks on the diagonal.
  2. In a large salad bowl, combine the asparagus, mesclun, ham, and bell pepper. Puree the cantaloupe, vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, and crushed red pepper in a food processor or blender. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.