The rice with escarole and tuna is a recipe I consider somewhat multipurpose. Let me explain: I often have leftover basmati rice from the day before and as you may have guessed I throw nothing away. So I like to mix it up to make a light and tasty dish. Of course in winter you want something warm and in summer something cool.
So how to do it? For this dish it’s simple: the ingredients are mixed together, hot or cold depending on the desired temperature. In winter, if you’re recycling both the rice and the escarole, just warm them in the microwave for a few minutes, otherwise serve them at room temperature.
In any case, at whatever temperature you enjoy it, rice with escarole and tuna remains an excellent one-dish meal that’s quick to make, very tasty and filling. Regarding seasonality, in summer you can replace the escarole with another vegetable: I suggest green beans but there are many options. Let’s cook…
You can find some other rice recipes here:
Quick rice salad
Rice salad with lemon mackerel
Rice salad with vegetables and edible flowers
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very low cost
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Microwave
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked rice (or about 3.5 oz (100 g) uncooked, basmati or other variety (about 1/2 cup))
- 1 head escarole (raw or already cooked, or another leafy vegetable)
- 5.6 oz tuna in water (drained weight)
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fresh parsley (optional)
- to taste salt and pepper
- Points per serving = 8 WW points
Preparation
The procedure is very simple. If you don’t already have leftover rice and escarole, proceed as follows: clean the escarole well by rinsing the leaves several times to remove any soil. Cut the leaves into pieces and heat them in a little lightly salted water for about ten minutes, then drain them well.
At the same time cook the rice in salted water following the package instructions. If you want a hot dish, combine the rice and escarole immediately; otherwise let both cool.
If the rice and escarole were already prepared and you want a hot dish, simply warm both in the microwave at medium power for a couple of minutes.
In any case, whether the rice and escarole are warm or cold, mix them together and add the well-drained tuna. Dress with the oil and chopped parsley.
There should be no need to add more salt: the less we add, the better for our health. If desired, you can also add freshly ground pepper.
And here rice with escarole and tuna is ready to be enjoyed or to be put in a container to take to work. A flavorful and very simple dish ideal for using up that bit of leftover rice or vegetables in the fridge.
It can be enjoyed in all seasons by varying the type of vegetable; it is also great with green beans, broccoli or asparagus.
I hope this simple light dish will be to your liking!
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
