Rice is a superb all-rounder in relation to dinnertime; easy and versatile, this humble kitchen staple is in style in signature rice dishes all over the world, and is utilized in a mind-bogglingly extensive number of cuisines. Whether or not it’s cooked up as a thick and creamy risotto, or served as a easy aspect dish subsequent to a spicy curry, there’s all the time a spot on the desk for rice. One easy but scrumptious option to take pleasure in this much-loved grain is to make it right into a salad, supplying you with a wholesome and refreshing meal choice that may depart you happy.

This contemporary and crunchy Italian rice salad recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, makes an ideal alternative for a light-weight and refreshing lunch choice, and it really works equally nicely as a aspect dish for all kinds of mains. Packed stuffed with Italian-inspired salad elements reminiscent of artichoke hearts and olives, and dressed with contemporary herbs, olive oil, and toasted pine nuts, this rice salad is full of taste and crunch to offer you a nutritious and filling meal choice any time of 12 months.

To start this contemporary and crunchy Italian rice salad recipe, first, you have to to assemble the elements. You want brown rice, ham, a purple bell pepper, purple onion, diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, corn, and sliced olives. To provide the rice salad a number of taste, you’ll moreover want contemporary basil, contemporary chives, olive oil, salt and pepper, and toasted pine nuts, to complete.

Boil salted water in a big saucepan.

Add the rice and prepare dinner for 22 to 25 minutes, or based on the packet directions.

Drain the rice and depart to chill.

Add the diced ham, purple pepper, purple onion, tomatoes, artichoke, corn, black olives, basil, and chives to a big bowl.

Drizzle with the oil, season nicely with salt and pepper, and toss every part.

Add the cooled rice and blend every part once more.

High with pine nuts earlier than serving.

This contemporary and crunchy Italian rice salad recipe is well adaptable based on your private preferences and what you will have in inventory. To make the recipe vegetarian however nonetheless stuffed with hearty protein, the diced ham will be substituted for beans reminiscent of Borlotti or black beans. Should you occur to have some cooked lentils round, toss these in, too. 

A wide range of cheeses would additionally make a wonderful addition to this dish, including to the general protein content material of the salad in addition to giving it a distinct texture and taste. You’ll ideally need to select cheeses which might be onerous sufficient that they are often diced or crumbled: feta, swiss cheese, and Gruyère all add their very own scrumptious style and pair nicely with different components of the salad such because the olives and the artichoke.

The bell pepper, purple onion, and tomatoes can simply be augmented by or substituted for different veggies relying in your preferences. Cucumbers, carrots, celery, radishes, and scallions would all add a refreshing crunch and taste to the salad, together with their distinctive well being advantages.

It is all the time value preserving a be aware of recipes that may be made upfront, whether or not you might be in search of meal prep concepts for the week forward, meals for a picnic, or a dish to take alongside to a bring-and-share dinner. This Italian rice salad recipe is one nice, wholesome choice that may be made forward of time. In actual fact, the place some salads will shortly turn into unhappy and limp when blended collectively and left for too lengthy, the flavors on this salad truly enhance when given a bit of time to meld collectively, while the elements themselves keep pretty and crisp. We suggest preserving this salad saved within the fridge in an hermetic container as soon as it has been assembled, and it must be consumed inside 3 to 4 days.

This dish presents a good way to make use of up any leftover salad elements, so if in case you have any leftovers within the fridge why not add them in to save lots of on prep time? When you’ve got leftover rice within the fridge, you may skip the rice-cooking time and assemble this recipe much more shortly. Leftover rice can safely be consumed for 4 to 6 days after it was first cooked, supplying you with ample time to make and luxuriate in your rice salad while decreasing meals wastage.