Italian Rice Salad
Fluffy rice, sweet/tangy sun-dried tomatoes, Italian herbs, and plenty of parmesan cheese, this is the most incredible dish ever! Served hot or cold, it’s great for weeknight dinners, picnics, barbecues, pot lucks, brunch, tailgates, and more!
There’s so much flavor in this Italian rice salad! That’s because the rice is cooked in a flavorful broth of Italian herbs and chicken bouillon! If you haven’t cooked your rice (or any grain) in bouillon before, I highly recommend it! Bouillon adds great depth of flavor from the very beginning.
This gluten-free dish is incredibly healthy. You can use your favorite rice variety, or a rice blend. I used a rice blend of texmati, brown, and red rice with barley and rye. It’s nutty and wonderful and loaded with fiber. There are many rice varieties on the market, so try something new, or stick with traditional white or brown rice.
You can serve this dish hot or cold. I served it room temperature and it was fabulous! Since you can serve this salad any temperature, it’s great for indoor and outdoor gatherings!
About the sun-dried tomatoes. You can use sun-dried tomatoes that are sold dry or those packed in olive oil. When using the oil-packed tomatoes, add a little of the oil from the jar for added flavor!
About the parmesan cheese. I suggest good-quality parmesan cheese for this dish. Since there are very ingredients in the recipe, quality matters. You don’t need to spend a lot of money! I used my grocery store brand of pre-shredded parmesan cheese and it was awesome.
Add fresh herbs if desired! Feel free to load up this salad with your favorite fresh herbs, including parsley, chives, and mint!
Add protein if you want! If you’re looking for a protein-rich, wholesome meal, add grilled or roasted chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, or tofu.
Italian Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice of choice, I used a rice medley of texmati, brown, and red rice with barley and rye
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoon shredded or grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, bouillon cubes, olive oil (or butter), Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add 2 1/4 cups of water and set the pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (read the label on your rice; some varieties need to cook longer).
- Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
- Fold in the basil and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve hot, room temperature, or chilled.