Italian Rice Salad

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5 from 3 votes

A fresh and vibrant main meal salad with light juicy salad vegetables and intense bursts of flavour from the olives and sundried tomatoes.

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Ingredients

75 g white rice
100 ml water
3 tbsp Italian dressing
2 tbsp pine nuts
6 cherry tomatoes
0.33 cup red pepper - diced
0.33 cup green pepper - diced
1 spring onion
2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes - chopped
2 inches cucumber - diced
1 bunch parsley
10 olives
basil sprigs

For the Italian Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp Dijon mustard - smooth
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp mixed dried herbs
¼ lemon, zest only

Metric - USA Cups

Instructions

First, cook the rice in 100 ml water and then transfer to a large bowl.
75 g white rice, 100 ml water
Pour the dressing over the rice and stir it in. If you don't have a batch of Italian dressing made – see the notes below
Push the rice around the edge of the bowl to maximise the surface area for faster cooling.
Cover and allow the rice to absorb the dressing as it cools. Then cover and transfer to the fridge.
3 tbsp Italian dressing
Toast the pine nuts in a pan over a medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside and allow to cool.
2 tbsp pine nuts
Quarter the fresh tomatoes and chop the other vegetables into small pieces. Finely chop the parsley. Add all of these to the cooled rice and stir in well. The salad can now be chilled for up to 24 hours.
6 cherry tomatoes, 0.33 cup red pepper, 0.33 cup green pepper, 1 spring onion, 2 inches cucumber, 1 bunch parsley, 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
Before serving, fluff the rice, stir in the olives and scatter with the pine nuts and basil.
basil sprigs, 10 olives

To make the dressing

Add the ingredients for the dressing to the bowl and mix with a mini whisk before adding the rice.
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp sugar, ¼ tsp mixed dried herbs, ¼ lemon, zest only

Notes

Storage

You can store this rice salad in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving, but it is better to add the basil and pine kernels just before you serve.

Hints and tips

Dressing the rice while it is still hot makes a huge difference, allowing the rice to absorb the flavour.

Take the time to cut the vegetables into pieces of approximately the same size for best results.

Add the pine nuts just before serving to keep them crunchy.

All measurements are approximate except for the ratios for the rice, so use what you have.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.