Cold Wild Rice & Orzo Salad

Submitted by Chuck Steak

"Had a similar salad at a restaurant, and reconstructed from memory. You may need or want more salad dressing and don't be afraid to add extra almonds for more crunch! You can play around with the ingredient quantities as well."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Yields: 6 cups

ingredients

• 236.59 ml dry instant wild rice
• 118.29 ml dry instant rice
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 236.59 ml dry orzo pasta
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 118.29-236.59 ml fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 118.29 ml slivered almonds (or more to taste)
• 2.46 ml kosher salt

• Salad Dressing

• 59.14-78.78 ml olive oil
• 29.58 ml red wine vinegar
• 14.79 ml lemon juice, fresh preferred
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4.92 ml oregano
• 1.23 ml celery salt
• 0.61 ml black pepper
• balsamic vinegar

directions

1. I cook both the instant wild and white rice together in a rice cooker along with the chicken bouillion cube til done.
2. Let cool or chill in the fridge.
3. Cook orzo according to package directions and drain with cold water.
4. Once rice and orzo are both somewhat cool, mix together and add the chopped peppers, onion, chopped cilantro, almonds,& salt.
5. In a separate small container, mix the oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and spices.
6. I've been making this salad dressing so long, I'm estimating the amounts, so adjust to taste.
7. Pour over rice salad, mix thoroughly, add more salt if needed and splash with Balsamic vinegar to taste.
8. Salad is best if chilled for at least an hour or two before serving to blend flavors.

Reviews

[Chef GIM]

My family enjoyed this at our reunion! I added chopped kalamata olives and crumbled feta, plus used a rice/grain mix instead of wild rice. Definitely toast the almonds, and I used at least 2 T balsamic vinegar plus some extra S&P. Nice crunchy and refreshing salad. Traveled well, too.

 

[jerob]

This is such a delicious summer side dish! My one small addition is raisins and/or craisins. I toss a handful or two into the rice during the last 5 minutes of cooking to soften them up a bit. I love the extra bit of sweetness the fruit adds. We usually serve this salad as a side dish with grilled chicken. Mixing leftover chicken in with the rice makes for a great lunch the next day too!

 

[whatscooking]

Excellent salad. I omitted the instant rice and I only had parsley. I also toasted the almonds. This was simple, very tasty and a big hit.

 

[GotBoxer]

I took this to a potluck dinner and I dont think I have ever been asked for recipe more than I was for this one. I did make a few convienence changes - I used a box of long grain/wild rice blend and I accidently added the seasoning packet before I realized what I had done, so I left out the boullion cube. Also, instead of making my own vinagrette I used Archer Farms balsamic vinegrette. This was such a hit that I took it to Easter dinner at my mother's house and I had the same response - this is a fantastic recipe and I am so glad that you shared it. I did try this salad warm as well, and it was JUST as good!

 

[Snewtie]

I got a similar recipe from a friend and Just made it. Made a few changes, I substituted goat cheese for feta, and raspberry red wine vinegar. I also roasted the peppers before adding them.