Rice Chopped Salad Recipe

Categories: Feature, Gluten-free/gluten-free adaptable, Grains, Lunch, Recipes, Salads, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Rice is one of the least expensive grains and it is also highly digestible. I just don’t like to overeat it because it doesn’t have a ton of nutrition and it can cause a blood sugar spike on its own. So ideally, I will bulk up rice with lots of non-starchy vegetables. You can top this rice chopped salad with tuna, turkey or chicken, or cooked beans to make this a complete meal. I even grated hard boiled eggs on top once and it was delicious! It lasts a good 5 days in the fridge too.

Why you’ll love this rice chopped salad recipe

Budget-friendly;
flexible;
delicious and flavorful;
can help utilize little bits of produce;
easy to digest and not a blood sugar spike like plain rice.

Ingredients

Cooked rice – you’ll need 2 cups of cooked rice. I like white basmati rice, but brown rice works too. See the notes for my ratio for cooking white rice.
Cauliflower rice – is the best thing that has happened to me. I add it to rice to bulk it up and oatmeal and you can’t tell it’s in there. Cauliflower rice does not need to be cooked for this recipe. If using frozen, make sure to defrost and pat dry to absorb excess liquid. Or you can rice cauliflower florets in a food processor.
Zucchini – is a mild and abundant vegetable in the summer. You can rice zucchini the same way you would rice cauliflower and use it raw. In fact, check out the confetti vegetable sauté recipe in QTQ for other veggies you can rice.
Pistachios – add a nice crunch and color to this salad. I prefer roasted and salted pistachios for best flavor. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are a great nut-free swap
Olives – I love olives! Any variety is fine here and I recommend getting pitted olives. If you’re like my husband who hates olives, you can use half the amount of capers or omit them. Chopped hearts of palm might be nice since they have a similar brininess.
Scallions – are milder than regular onions. I love using them in raw preparations, like in salads.
Dried tart cherries – these are fun and add a nice sweetness. Any dried fruit can work. I recommend chopping the dried fruit if using something large like a date,
Fresh dill – is such a delicious herb! I often pair it with fish and it tastes amazing in salads. You can use parsley if that’s what you have.
Lime or lemon juice – I often juice citrus (lime, lemon, orange) and freeze in ice cube molds to have on hand. If you have no fresh limes or lemons to juice, unseasoned rice vinegar can be used in its place.
Olive oil – use an unrefined olive oil for best flavor.
Garlic – I use a small garlic clove for the dressing. I often get asked if I use a garlic press and the answer is no. My favorite way to mince garlic is with a microplane.
Maple syrup – is my go to sweetener for salad dressings. You can use honey as well, I’m just not a fan of the flavor.

How to make rice chopped salad

In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked rice, cauliflower rice, riced zucchini, pistachios, olives, scallions, and dried cherries.
In a screw-top jar with a lid, add all the dressing ingredients and shake to emulsify. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh dill.

Tips

You can top this salad with tuna, turkey or chicken to make this a complete meal. Or cooked chickpeas or peas. I even grated hard boiled eggs on top once and it was delicious!
The salad lasts a good 5 days in the fridge. When storing leftovers, try to keep them in containers with as little air as possible to help them last longer.

Substitutions

Pistachios – pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Olives – capers or hearts of palm
Dried tart cherries – dried blueberries or any dried fruit of choice (diced if large like a date)
Lime/lemon juice – unseasoned rice vinegar

Other recipes you may like

*Cauliflower crunch salad

*Farro chopped salad with orange juice vinaigrette

*Mediterranean quinoa salad

*Confetti vegetable saute from QTQ

If you give this rice chopped salad recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates and things I’m loving lately. If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class! Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!

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Rice Chopped Salad

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 cups cooked white or brown rice, at room temperature* (I like basmati)
2 cups cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen/defrosted
2 cups riced zucchini (raw)
½ cup roasted and salted pistachios, chopped or pepitas
⅓ cup olives, pitted and chopped or ¼ cup capers
4 scallions, sliced
¼ cup dried tart cherries or dried blueberries (really any dried fruit works well, including diced dates)
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
Dressing:
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (unseasoned rice vinegar works in a pinch)
⅓ cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon raw honey or pure maple syrup or monk fruit sweetener
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked rice, cauliflower rice, riced zucchini, pistachios, olives, scallions, and dried cherries.
In a screw-top jar with a lid, add all the dressing ingredients and shake to emulsify. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh dill.

Notes

To rice vegetables, add the vegetable broken into chunks to the bowl of a food processor and process or chop until the size of rice. When ricing different vegetables, process each vegetable separately since they have different densities.

*My go-to rice recipe is 1 cup rice + 2 cups water + 1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter + ½ teaspoon salt + 1 smashed garlic clove. Cook according to package directions. White rice is usually 18-ish minutes. This will yield close to 3 cups of cooked rice.

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