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Mediterranean rice salad with vegetables in a bowl on the table.
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Mediterranean Rice Salad

Hearty, wholesome, and super healthy, this super easy Mediterranean rice salad recipe is going to become your next favorite side dish to pair with any grilled or baked meat.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Cooling Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 4 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 394kcal
Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

Rice

  • 1 ½ cups long grain rice brown rice, basmati rice, black rice, quinoa, couscous and a wild rice blend are also an option if desired

Dressing

Salad

  • 1 english cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and chopped
  • 1 ¼ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 cup olives, pitted, chopped or sliced
  • 1 small purple onion, sliced or chopped
  • 1 ¼ cups sweet pepper, any color, chopped
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

Prepare Rice

  • Prepare your rice, or whatever you are using, according to package directions.
  • If using long grain rice, boil for around 13 or 14 minutes. Drain rice if necessary and spread rice all over rimmed baking sheet to cool completely, between 20 and 30 minutes.

Make Your Dressing

  • Using a hand blender or food processor, combine, ½ cup feta, oil, vinegar, honey, and oregano until smooth. Set aside until rice is ready and cool. You don't want to leave your fresh vegetables soaking for longer than an hour without the rice.
  • Transfer to a large bowl and add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, peppers, red onions.

Make Your Salad

  • Add cool rice and remaining feta to bowl with all of your chopped vegetables. Toss to combine.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Video

Notes

  • Use good quality: Good quality, long-grain rice is the foundation of this salad. Choose the best aged rice that you can get your hands on. 
  • Extra tang: Don’t have vinegar or just need a bit of extra tang? Add in some lemon juice and a pinch or two of lemon zest.
  • Wash rice: The key to getting the perfect, fluffy rice grains is to wash the rice at least three times, ideally until the water runs clear, and then soak it for 15 minutes before you cook it. Doing this removes the excess starch and keeps the rice from clumping together.
  • Add some freshness: Don’t underestimate the power of fresh herbs! Add lots of chopped herbs of your choice to brighten up this salad.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1288IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 1mg