Garden Wild Rice Salad

This cold wild rice salad is built for feeding a crowd. A big batch of long grain and wild rice gets chilled, then folded with fresh diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and parsley in a bright lemon vinaigrette.

Cooking the rice with butter adds richness that balances the acidity of the lemon dressing. Chill the rice completely in a shallow pan before mixing in the vegetables. Warm rice wilts the fresh ingredients and turns everything soggy.

The lemon juice and oil dressing is deliberately simple so the vegetables and nutty wild rice stay front and center. This salad actually improves after sitting in the fridge for a few hours as the flavors meld together.

Kitchen Tips

• Spread the cooked rice in a shallow pan to cool it quickly and evenly. A deep bowl traps steam and keeps the center warm too long.
• Dice the vegetables small and uniform so every forkful gets a bit of everything.
• Toss the salad gently once the vegetables are in. Wild rice is sturdy, but aggressive stirring breaks down the tomatoes.
• Make it the morning of your event. It holds well in the fridge all day without getting mushy.

Variations

• Add crumbled feta cheese and kalamata olives for a Mediterranean spin.
• Toss in grilled chicken to turn this side into a complete meal.
• Swap lemon juice for red wine vinegar and add fresh basil for an Italian-leaning flavor.