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This summer wild rice salad pairs nicely with rustic lentils, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts, and sweet roasted cherry tomatoes.

I don’t think I ever blogged a recipe immediately after creating it (actually eating it as I’m writing this). It was just that good, and I didn’t want to forget it. This summer wild rice salad pairs a perfect combination of lentils and wild rice perfectly (does it get any better than beans and grains?), and is topped with fresh herbs, sweet roasted tomatoes and shallots, and finished with nutty toasted pine nuts and zesty chili flakes. Honestly. It’s just perfect, hot or cold, and it’s delicious at any time of day (I even had it at breakfast!)

TEMPLATE & VARIATIONS

I’ve personally added basil, oregano, pine nuts and tomatoes to this (so it has an Italian feeling) but you can certainly change it up to the following versions. Keep the lentils and wild rice as a base, then add:

Greek flavors: oregano, lemon, olives, vegan cheese, roasted peppers
Indian flavors: turmeric/cumin roasted carrots, roasted cauliflower, cilantro, almond yogurt and lime
Mexican: avocado, black beans in place of the lentils, salsa, lime, garlic, jallapeno
Moroccan: cumin and cinnamon roasted veggies and preserved lemon
Feel free to adjust to your tastes!
For fall/winter, add roasted squash (butternut, kabocha), pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, maybe some warming herbs like cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, and serve it warm.

LENTILS & RICE

For the rice, I typically cook about 1 cup of wild rice in 6 cups salted water just until tender, about 40 minutes, then drain.

When cooking lentils, I typically add 1 cup of lentils to about 5 cups of water and cook about 20 minutes or until they have a little softness to them but they don’t fall apart. For this reason, the Puy, green, or black lentils work the best. The green and red lentils tend to break down a bit more and don’t make for a great salad.

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Summer Wild Rice Salad

Andreea Fegan, www.LittleBitesOfJoy.com

This summer wild rice salad pairs nutty wild rice with rustic lentils, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts and sweet roasted cherry tomatoes.

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Ingredients

3 oz cooked lentils (French, black, or puy lentils are best): I typically cook them for about 20 minutes, or per package instructions
1 oz toasted pine nuts
4 oz cooked wild rice, according to package instructions
12 oz cherry tomatoes (pierced with a knife)
1 shallot, cubed
drizzle of good olive oil
handful of fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, tarragon, chives, basil), minced
balsamic vinegar, optional

Instructions

First, roast the tomatoes and shallots

Make sure to pierce tomatoes with a knife so they don't explode while roasting. Mix tomatoes, cubed shallots, a little spray of oil, salt and pepper and mix well together. Roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (I just use a roasting dish to save all those juices). These will shrink to about 10 oz when cooked.

Assemble the salad

Mix lentils, wild rice, pinch of salt, drizzle of olive oil and herbs together until mixed well. The flavors melt together nicely if the lentils and rice are warm, if possible.
Lastly, top the rice mixture with the roasted tomatoes and top with the toasted pine nuts. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, if using (I didn't and it was still delicious!)

More Summer Salad Recipes

Check out all of these summer-ready salad recipes! Enjoy the bounty of the season.