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.
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