Wild Rice Salad
This wild rice salad is bursting with flavor and texture. It’s chewy, nutty and hearty! It’s loaded with sweet crunchy apples and celery, tart cranberries, pomegranate, creamy feta cheese, and my favourite candied maple bacon pecans for lots of flavor and texture in each bite! It’s all tossed in a citrus zingy vinaigrette that is also a great all purpose dressing. It’s gluten free, filling and delicious. It’s easy to throw together and the dressing and rice can be made ahead too for easy prep. Make sure to check out the ingredients list below for more details about each ingredient and also substitutions because this is quite the versatile Salad.
Wild Rice Benefits
Wild rice is naturally gluten-free and is nutrient dense with more protein per serving than brown rice. Wild rice is also rich in antioxidants and essential minerals like magnesium and phosphorus. It’s not always easy to find plain wild rice - It’s usually sold in a blend with other rice. I get it at my local bulk store. If you can only find wild rice available as a blend in your local store, be sure to look for one that is a mix of wild rice and long-grain brown rice, so that the cooking time will be similar.
Wild rice salad Ingredients:
- Wild rice - earthy in flavour, with an absolutely wonderful chewy texture. The deep rich color is appealing to the eye, especially when you pair it with the bright red pomegranate and crimson dried cranberries. It’s cooked al dente, and has a wonderful chewy texture. Other options would be farro, bulgur wheat, or wheat berries all cooked according to package directions
- Baby arugula - has a slight bitter note, and adds a leafy freshness to every bite. The greens are an unexpected way to lighten this salad. Grains or rice with fresh greens is one of my favorite pairings for fall and winter salads, just be sure to use sturdy greens like arugula, spinach, or kale.
- Feta cheese - those bright white crumbles punctuate the dish both visually and flavour-wise adding sharp salty tangy bite. Feel free to substitute with crumbled goat cheese if you wish
- Green onion - I love the fresh, mild onion flavour green onions add - for a punchier flavour feel free to use red onion instead
- Apple & Celery - they add the tastiest freshest crunch to this salad. You can substitute with pear or persimmon or any other winter fruit you like
- Pomegranate- adds pops of colour and they literally pop in your mouth with tangy sweet deliciousness. Feel free to substitute with grapes if you wish.
- Dried cranberries - they add a burst of tart and also add extra texture to this salad. You can use dried cherries, sultanas, or dried figs to substitute
- Candied maple bacon pecans - they add sweet chewy crunch to this salad - my recipe for candied pecans is below but you can use your own recipe or even use store bought
- Red wine vinegar, lemon juice and honey - are balanced by olive oil to make a sweet but not too sweet dressing. You can use regular vinegar, balsamic or white wine vinegar. As for the honey you can substitute for maple syrup as well.
- Shallot - it’s optional to add to the dressing but I love the sweet and mild onion flavour it adds to it
- Parsley- I like to add some fresh herbs to this salad and my favourite to add here is parsley - feel free to use whatever herb you like
How to make wild rice salad:
- Cook wild rice and allow to cool. Cook according to package directions. Do not overcook. You still want it to have a nice bite for texture. This could be made up to 4 days in advance.
- Make candied maple pecans - recipe included below or feel free to use store bought. These can be made up to 3-4 days in advance.
- Make the sweet and tangy dressing with:
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- mustard
- honey
- shallot
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl or place in a mason jar and shake. The honey and onions help the oil and vinegar to emulsify into a creamy dressing we all love.
- Assemble salad - chop all salad ingredients and place in a bowl - toss with half the salad dressing first - see if that is enough and then serve the rest on the side or toss with remaining dressing as needed
Wild Rice and Arugula Salad Tips
- To make this salad in advance: You can cook the wild rice beforehand and allow to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You could also whisk together the dressing and store that in the fridge for up to two days. Candied maple bacon pecans can be made 3-4 days in advance if using this recipe to make them.
- Don’t overcook the rice. Some of the grains will have burst but you still want a bit of a bite to your wild rice.
- Please feel free to use less or more of each ingredient according to your taste.
More salads you will love:
- Waldorf Salad
- Beetroot Salad With Greek Yogurt (Patzarosalata)
- Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Skillet Corn With Farro Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Kale And Farro Salad With A Za’atar Dressing
- Classic Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki)
- Moroccan Style Roasted Vegetable Salad With a Tahini Dressing
- Classic Greek Lettuce Salad (Maroulosalata)
Recipe
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 40-60 min (for the rice) mins
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 cup wild rice uncooked
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 pomegranate peeled and arils removed
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple cored and chopped
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 green onion sliced
- Candied maple bacon pecans (recipe below) or your own homemade or store bought candied pecans
For the Dressing
- ½ a shallot peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
For the Candied maple bacon pecans
- 250 gram package of bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 cup of pecans lightly toasted
- 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup
- 2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp of butter
Directions
For the rice
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice and lower heat to a simmer cover and cook 40 min until tender but not overly soft, or cook according to package directions.
- Drain and allow to steam dry and cool. They add to large serving bowl
For the salad
- Add arugula, celery, cranberries, apple, feta, parsley and green onions to serving bowl with rice. Toss to combine.
For the dressing
- In a medium bowl whisk the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, lime juice, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add oil slowly, whisking continuously. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad mix well.
For the stovetop candied maple bacon pecans
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet set to medium heat (should take 1-2 minutes).Then stir in the maple syrup, pecans, sugar, and bacon.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula (don’t walk away from the stove). You want the sugar to dissolve in the maple syrup & butter (this happens quickly) and for it to reduce & thicken so it’s coating the pecans.
- When the sugar mixture has reduced so it’s clinging to the pecans, remove from the heat and immediately pour the nuts onto the parchment lined sheet. Quickly spread the nuts in one even layer and separate them so they don’t stick together.
- Let the pecans cool completely (they will firm up quickly) then store in an airtight container on the counter. Consume within 3-4 days for the best taste & texture; however, if crystallization doesn’t bother you they’ll last up to two weeks.
Recipe Notes
- To make this salad in advance: You can cook the wild rice beforehand and allow to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You could also whisk together the dressing and store that in the fridge for up to two days. Candied maple bacon pecans can be made 3-4 days in advance if using this recipe to make them.
- Don’t overcook the rice. Some of the grains will have burst but you still want a bit of a bite to your wild rice.
- Please feel free to use less or more of each ingredient according to your taste.
