Looking for a brown rice salad? Grain salads should be the backbone of your family meals during the spring. It’s a season that sees most of us spending more time outdoors, which means we naturally have less time for getting a good dinner on the table. If you start the week with a few salads in the fridge, you just need to add some protein and/or extra veggies to the plate to have a satisfying meal that will work for everyone. Here are a few more reasons to love a grain salad:
- They can be made days in advance and stored in the fridge for a future dinner or easy ready-made lunches. Try prepping two or three different salads on Sunday for the week ahead.
- Most grains are inexpensive, meaning your grocery dollars will definitely go a little farther.
- They are endlessly customizable. In this specific recipe feel free to replace edamame with blanched peas, asparagus or green beans. Feel free to play around, usng the ingredients that work well for your family.
My boys love rice so that’s my grain of choice most days. I like to use brown basmati rice when possible, but sometimes I just stick to plain long grain brown rice instead. We also make salads with quinoa and farro, and find most grains can easily be swapped for each other in these types of salad recipes. But this brown rice salad is one of our tried and trues.
Do you need a foolproof method for cooking brown rice? After plenty of trial and error, this technique is the best I’ve come across, turning out perfectly cooked brown rice every time.
Brown Rice Salad with Edamame and Citrus-Basil Dressing:
Adapted from The Food Network
You’ll Need
- 2 ½ - 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 cup cooked edamame
- 4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
- Citrus-Basil Dressing (recipe here)
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh cilantro, basil, or mint leaves, for garnish
Prep and Cook
- 1Combine the rice, carrots, edamame, and green onions in a large bowl.
Add half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. - 2Check the seasonings and add salt, pepper and more dressing, if needed.
Garnish with fresh herbs and serve cold or at room temperature.
Tagged under: lunches,salad recipes,salad,salad recipe,brown rice,grain salad,unique salad recipes
Category: recipes
