Brown Rice Salad

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Try this Brown Rice Salad for a nutritious Mediterranean-inspired dish! Nutty brown rice, crisp cucumbers, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and feta come together in a zesty lemon dressing. Refreshing and delicious!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Rice Cooling Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Healthy, Vegetarian

Keyword: Brown Rice Salad

Servings: servings

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $8.67

Equipment

Large pot
Wide-mouth jar or other sealable container

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice rinsed and drained, see note 1
Salt and pepper
1 cup diced cucumber see note 2
2/3 cup finely diced roasted red peppers see note 3
1/2 cup finely diced sun-dried tomatoes see note 4
2/3 cup finely diced red onion 1 small
1/3 packed cup finely diced fresh parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
kalamata olives optional, thinly sliced

Lemon Dressing

1 lemon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons honey

US - Metric

Instructions

Rice: In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Once boiling, add 2 teaspoons salt to the water to season. Add rinsed and drained rice to the pot, and boil it uncovered until tender. (Cooking times vary depending on the type of rice: medium/long-grain rice takes around 30–35 minutes. Brown basmati rice takes around 12–18 minutes.) Before draining rice, taste a piece to be sure it is cooked to your liking. Drain rice well in a colander, then pour it back into the (completely dry) pot. Cover pot with a lid and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes to steam. Remove lid, fluff rice with a fork, and let cool completely before using it in the salad. (Either pop it in the fridge or let stand at room temperature.)
Dressing: Zest and juice lemon to get 1/4 teaspoon zest and 1-1/2 tablespoons juice. Add lemon zest and juice with all dressing ingredients to a wide-mouth jar and season to taste (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Seal and shake well to combine. Store dressing in fridge until ready to use, giving it a good shake before dressing the salad.
Salad: To prepare salad ingredients, finely dice cucumber, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, and parsley. Add diced vegetables to the cooled rice; if desired, add some thinly sliced kalamata olives as well. Pour dressing over salad (adding as much as you’d like), and gently toss everything together. Taste salad and adjust seasonings as needed, keeping in mind that the feta cheese will add some saltiness. Top individual servings with cheese, adding as much as you’d like.

Video

Notes

Note 1: If you already have cooked brown rice, you’ll need 2-1/2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice. Here is my favorite way to make a big batch of brown rice and use in recipes (like this one!) throughout the week!

Note 2: English or Persian/mini salad cucumbers are the best! They have a less bitter taste, fewer seeds, and thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled. They’re more flavorful and crispier than regular cucumbers.

Note 3: You can buy jars of roasted red peppers at the store; they are usually near things like pickles, capers, and artichoke hearts. I love the soft texture and smokey flavor of roasted red peppers, but a raw chopped red pepper is also delicious in this salad.

Note 4: Make sure to grab the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil—not dried—for maximum flavor and texture.

Note 5: Salad tips:

To remove the “bite” of red onion, soak the diced onion in cold water for 5–10 minutes before adding to the salad.
Make sure to grab flat-leaf Italian parsley instead of curly parsley for more flavor.
When making the dressing, a few kitchen tools make prep a breeze—I love zesting the lemon with a microplane and juicing with this citrus juicer.

Storage: Brown Rice Salad is best enjoyed fresh, but when stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last 3–4 days. The rice and vegetables may lose some of their texture and flavor over time. Store the red onion and feta cheese separately from the rest of the salad. The red onion can release liquids and overpower the salad’s flavor, while the feta cheese can become mushy and lose its texture if left in the dressing too long. Adding them to the salad just before serving will ensure the best quality and flavor.

Nutrition