Plus, here at Foolproof Living, we love wild rice. I know you like it too because two of our most popular fall recipes, Wild Rice Stuffing and Wild Rice Pilaf, feature this magical ingredient. Originally shared by Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa), this cold wild rice salad recipe is a great way to brighten your holiday table with some color and sweet and savory flavors. Plus, it is a great make-ahead salad recipe that you can serve cold, which I think is the best part because you can get it ready a day before and put it on the table right before dinner. That being said, it is also a great salad for potlucks and summer picnics, as it pairs well with grilled meats and veggies.
How To Make Wild Rice Salad?
The recipe for this cold wild rice salad has 3 folds: For the wild rice salad dressing, you’ll need:
Olive oil Orange juice and zest (preferably freshly squeezed) Kosher salt and pepper
For the salad, you’ll need:
Cooked and cooled wild rice Grapes Sliced oranges Scallions Dried cranberries Pecans (or walnuts) Pomegranate seeds
What To Serve it With?
This wild rice salad recipe goes well with many meat and vegetarian meals. Below are my favorites:
Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make this holiday wild rice salad a day in advance. As a matter of fact, I recommend doing so, as it allows all the flavors to mingle and create an incredible flavor profile. Simply mix all the ingredients (including the dressing) in a large bowl a day in advance. Cover it with stretch film and store it in the fridge. Remove from the fridge an hour before you are ready to serve it so it can come to room temperature. To Store leftovers: Place the leftovers of this Minnesota wild rice salad in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Turkey recipes: It is no secret that wild rice recipes are popular as a side dish for Thanksgiving. I also serve this cranberry wild rice salad when I make my Marinated Turkey Tenderloin, Roasted Turkey Breast, and Baked Turkey Tenderloin recipes. Beef Dishes: Dishes with big flavors like my Pressure Cooker Pot Roast, Baked Meatball and Potatoes, and Vegetable Beef Soup pair very well with this salad. Vegetarian Meals: Serve with my Quinoa Stew or Cauliflower Curry for a filling vegetarian main dish.
Expert Tips:
While making this salad is pretty straightforward, below are a few helpful tips for the best wild rice salad recipe:
Cooking wild rice: If you are new to cooking wild rice and want to learn more about it, visit our posts on how to cook wild rice. Whenever I make this salad recipe I plan ahead and soak my wild rice to reduce the cooking time. Alternatively, you can cook wild rice in the instant pot as well. Do not skip the orange zest: While it may look like a minor ingredient, orange zest adds a nice tang to the overall recipe and enhances the sweetness of the orange juice so do not skip it. Also, it is always easier to zest it before juicing the orange. Segmenting orange: While you can cut your orange into small pieces, I like segmenting it. If you are unfamiliar with it, essentially, it is the process of removing the chewy membrane of the orange slices. You end up with sweet orange slices that melt in the salad.
Lightened Up Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup Instant Pot Wild Rice Chicken Soup Wild Rice Pilaf recipe Wild Rice Stuffing for Turkey
This recipe has been adapted from Ina Garten’s Wild Rice Salad recipe with minor changes to the originally published recipe. If you try this Wild Rice Salad with cranberries and pecans, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It is a great help to others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories. This Recipe is:
