Cold rice with arugula pesto, enriched with cherry tomatoes and zucchini, is a light, tasty, and fresh first course, ideal for lunch or dinner, with family or friends, perfect at home or away. The cold rice with arugula pesto is a vegetarian recipe that will please everyone! Oh! I forgot to mention that you can add chickpeas if you like: they go perfectly!
Not to be missed
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Basmati rice
- 2 zucchini
- 4 red cherry tomatoes
- 4 yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste basil
- 1 3/4 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
- to taste salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Kitchen knife
- 1 Low saucepan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Rice cooker
- 1 Salad spinner
Steps
Wash the zucchini, dry them, remove the ends, and dice them. In a low saucepan, heat the oil, add the zucchini, and let them cook, stirring until they are tender, then season with salt and set aside.
Cook the rice: you can boil it in salted boiling water following the cooking times indicated on the package, or if you have it, you can use a rice cooker (instructions can be found in the notes at the end of the article). Keep in mind that rice cooked in the rice cooker will be a bit drier, so you need to keep the dressing, in this case, the arugula pesto, a bit more fluid.
Prepare the arugula pesto: wash the arugula, dry it in the appropriate salad spinner, and transfer it to the food processor, add the oil, pine nuts, Parmesan, and if you want, a clove of garlic. Blend until you get a nice cream. If needed, you can add a little water. Season with salt.
Wash the cherry tomatoes, dry them, and dice them.
When the rice is cooked, transfer it to a bowl and season it with the arugula pesto. Add the zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil torn with your hands, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and mix well.
Cover the bowl with a lid and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
For cooking basmati rice in the rice cooker: soak the basmati rice for thirty minutes, then wash it very well under running water (this step is essential for optimal cooking), transfer it to the rice cooker with the water in a 1:1 ratio, so in this case, 3/4 cup of rice with 3/4 cup of water. Season with salt. Start the rice cooker following the instructions in your manual as each machine is different. The cooking will be automatic.
