A fresh and tasty rice salad, made with only vegetables… light and colorful. It’s perfect for the summer season. It prepares quickly, just the time to sauté the vegetables in a pan and boil the rice… then you can take it with you to the beach or to the office for lunch. I used bell peppers, zucchinis, carrots, and peas, but you can vary the ingredients based on what you have available. To make the vegetable rice salad even more flavorful, I added a blend of parsley and spring onion… try this recipe too, it’s really easy!
Here are some other tasty ideas:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 347.02 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 69.54 (g) of which sugars 5.06 (g)
- Proteins 9.75 (g)
- Fat 3.26 (g) of which saturated 0.54 (g)of which unsaturated 0.56 (g)
- Fibers 5.31 (g)
- Sodium 206.88 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 270 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1/3 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- Half spring onion (to taste)
- parsley (or basil)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Tools
- Bowl
- Pot
- Colander
- Pan
Preparation
Wash the zucchinis and bell pepper, peel the carrot with a peeler.
Cut the zucchinis and carrot into cubes, removing the ends. Clean the bell pepper by removing the seeds and filaments, and dice it as well.
Place the vegetables in a pan, add a drizzle of oil, a pinch of salt, and cook them for a few minutes over medium-high heat.
Blanch the peas for 5 minutes, then add them to the rest of the vegetables (1).
Cook the rice in salted boiling water for 13-15 minutes, depending on the variety (I used vialone nano).
Drain it and rinse it under a brief stream of cold water to stop the cooking, then pour it into a bowl.
Combine the vegetables and peas, adding a little more oil if necessary (2).
Finely chop a sprig of parsley with half a fresh spring onion, add the mixture to the rice and mix.
The vegetable rice salad is ready, I recommend letting it cool in the refrigerator for at least 30-40 minutes, so it will be even tastier.
Tips and Notes
The parsley and spring onion mix is optional, but I recommend it because it adds flavor and freshness to the rice.
You can vary the vegetables as you like, depending on the season (cherry tomatoes, eggplants, champignon mushrooms, olives, etc.).
You can use fresh or frozen peas. If you have fresh ones, you can add them directly to the pan without blanching them first.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How can I enrich the rice salad?
You can add, for example, fresh cheese cubes, hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna in oil, or diced cooked ham.
Can I prepare it the day before?
Sure, just store it in the refrigerator, in a well-sealed container.
