Wild Rice Salad
This Wild Rice Salad is bursting with delicious sweet and savory flavors!
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 198kcal
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 1 cup wild rice
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 4 ounces (113 grams) feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
- 5 ounces (142 grams) arugula (about 5 packed cups)
For Dressing:
- 1 small shallot, finely diced (about ¼ cup)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Prepare Salad:
- Rinse wild rice in a fine mesh strainer with cold water. Drain, then add to a medium pot filled with 4 cups salted water.
- Bring rice to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer rice until tender, but chewy (about 45 to 60 minutes).
- Drain rice, then return to pot and cover. Set aside to cool.
- When rice has cooled, add it to a large bowl, along with cranberries, pecans, and feta. Toss gently, adding just enough dressing to coat (you may have leftovers). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add arugula to wild rice mixture and gently toss everything together, adding a little extra dressing, if necessary (you may have leftovers).
- Serve salad immediately. Enjoy!
Prepare Dressing:
- While rice cooks, combine shallots and vinegar in a small jar (or bowl). Set aside for at least 15 minutes, or until just before serving.
- When ready to serve salad, add olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper to shallot mixture. Cover the jar, then shake until dressing is well mixed (or whisk together, if in bowl).
- Taste, then season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Notes
This recipe will serve about 8 people as a side dish, or 4 people as a main dish salad.
For best results, make sure to toss in the arugula just before serving. If you'd like to make the recipe in advance, cook the wild rice and prepare the dressing ahead of time. Then assemble the salad right before you're ready to eat.
Check out the info before this recipe for lots of helpful tips, tricks, and substitution ideas.