Wild Rice Salad overheadHow much time do you spend thinking about rice? I mean, where does it come from? Do you know how it grows and is harvested? I must admit that I hadn’t given it much thought until I read Amy Thielen’s Give a Girl a Knife and she talked about her husband harvesting wild rice near their home in Minnesota. Be sure to check out the video below that shows two guys in a canoe harvesting wild rice. You will never look at wild rice the same again.

Inspired by the harvesting process, I picked up a bag of wild rice at Trader Joe’s. Wild rice is low-carb and gluten-free, so this wild rice salad might be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving table. Which brings up a topic that I am endlessly curious about, Thanksgiving menus. Are you a traditionalist or do you like to mix it up with new recipes?

I have always been a new recipe kind of girl and didn’t realize how contentious that could be for people. Who knew that replacing the traditional green bean casserole with haricots vert with a lemon almond gremolata could have ruined Thanksgiving for some of my family members a few years back? Oops!

Wild Rice Salad Vertical ShotWild rice has a chewy texture and nutty taste and makes a hearty base for this salad. Truth be told, when I created this recipe recently it was because I needed a dish to bring to a potluck gathering. My goal was to make a dish using only ingredients that I had on hand so I wouldn’t have to go to the grocery store. The good news is that most of these ingredients are pantry items that you might have in your kitchen.

I will cut to the chase, this wild rice salad got great reviews!  The dried fruit adds a little bit of sweetness to the salad while the green onions and parsley add freshness. The almonds lend some crunch.  Whether you make this for a potluck or for Thanksgiving, the good news is that you can make it a day ahead of time. I think it tastes better after sitting for a day. If you make it ahead of time, I would reserve a little bit of fresh parsley to garnish the salad just before serving.

How to Make Wild Rice Salad

Print Recipe
Wild Rice Salad
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Passive Time 15 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Passive Time 15 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place cooked rice in a medium bowl. Add cranberries, raisins, almonds, green onions, and stir to combine.
  2. In a small bowl or canning jar, combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon, salt, and pepper and whisk or shake dressing. Pour over rice mixture. Top with chopped parsley.
  3. Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.
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If you are looking for other holiday recipes, check out:

Wild Rice Salad Long Image for Pinterest