Insalata di riso | Rice Salad | Gluten-free Summer Dishes

I want to thank Marta for showing me this new summer dish! It’s gluten-free and can be easily made vegan. It made for a super satisfying lunch and the best part is that it gets better as it sits in the fridge. So, if it’s too hot in the summer for you to cook, this recipe is for you. Its also packed with colorful veggies- which you know I love!

The beauty of this “insalata di riso” or rice salad is that you can add almost anything you like to it. The dressing is simply lemon juice and olive oil which makes it light, and maybe the perfect pair for a glass of Sauvignon blanc or rosé or le croix…perhaps!

Have fun with this one and see the full video how-to and Marta’s version at her profile @martascooking

“Insalata di riso” or Rice Salad

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1 cup Arborio Rice (I used calrose)
2 Tbsp black olives, sliced
2 Tbsp green olives, sliced
1 slice Swiss cheese, diced
1 yellow pepper, roasted and diced or jarred peppers
2 hard-boiled boiled eggs, quartered
1 can canned Tuna fish, broken up with fork
2 medium tomatoes, diced
Some fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp. + extra virgin olive oil
Other mix-ins that would work: boiled green beans, cooked chicken, peas, canned chickpeas, boiled carrots, pickled artichokes, lettuces

Directions:

Cook rice using pasta method: Bring a pot pf water to boil (no need to measure the water). When it boils, add good pinch of salt and pour in rice. Cook uncovered at medium heat. Stir occasionally. Cook rice until 2 minutes before package directions. If using hard-boiled eggs, add the eggs to the water 10 minutes before rice is done. Then, drain and cool. (This is the biggest step, then its all easy!).
Toss each individual ingredient with a little olive oil first. Then, when rice is cool, add rice to a bowl. Add ingredients to the rice “all’occhio,” as Marta likes to say or “to the eye.” You want a good color combination and the best way is to use your eyes.
Finally, mix up and taste. Add some pepper, more salt, olive oil or lemon juice to taste. Place in fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cold. Enjoy!