How to make Pomegranate Rice Salad? (Fresh Holiday Side Dish)

• Food: Pomegranate Rice Salad
• Writer: Lizzie Green
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Any dinner during the fall or winter will be improved by this rice salad dish! It’s a gorgeous, vibrant holiday side dish that is adorned with pomegranates, pistachios, and herbs.

What a lovely rice salad! This recipe is ideal if you’re searching for a quick Christmas side dish that doesn’t skimp on flavor. It is easy to prepare ahead of time, has a deep flavor, and is straightforward.

The substantial rice is topped with a spiced citrus vinaigrette, almonds add crunch, and fresh herbs bring the flavor. Not least, a scattering of pomegranate arils elevates it to the next level!

Jack and I adore pomegranates, so today we’re collaborating with POM Wonderful! He enjoys them as a snack, and I enjoy using them in salads, dips, and other dishes.

They’re renowned for their antioxidant benefits, and they’re a fantastic source of fiber, but what matters most to me is that they give holiday dishes like this one a bright ruby red flash of color and a delicious explosion of taste!

Recipe for Rice Salad Ingredients

What you’ll need to prepare this simple rice salad recipe is as follows:

• Obviously, rice! I combined wild rice, brown rice, and basmati rice; however, simply one or two types of rice would do. Avoid using short grain rice for this recipe; instead, use wild rice, long grain white rice, or long grain brown rice.
• Pomegranates: They give dishes the ideal splash of taste and color.
• Mint leaves and parsley that has been finely diced give this rice salad a beautiful fresh flavor.
• The savory depth of taste that they add contrasts with the sweet, acidic dressing and fresh herbs. Scallions and garlic.
• For crunch, nuts! Pistachios in this dish are my favorite because of their vivid green color, but walnuts would also work well.

I prepare a warmly flavored citrus dressing with cinnamon, cumin, coriander, fresh orange juice, maple syrup, white wine vinegar, and olive oil to bring everything together.

Cooking the rice is the first step in preparing this dish. Whisk the dressing together as it cools. Then, briefly sauté the garlic and scallions.

Along with the almonds, half of the dressing, and some parsley, stir the cooked rice into the pan. Add extra parsley, mint, and fresh pomegranate arils to the top before transferring the brown rice salad to a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature, and take pleasure in it!

Simple Rice Salad Recipe Advice

• Get ahead This recipe comes together quickly if the rice and dressing are prepared in advance.
• Lighten it up. Cauliflower rice or broccoli rice can be used in place of some or all of the conventional rice in this recipe to make it a light vegetable side dish.
• Make a meal of it. I adore eating this rice salad by itself as dinner! Serve it with roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, or butternut squash, and sprinkle it with tahini sauce. I top it with roasted chickpeas for protein. Pack it for a nutritious lunch—it tastes just as wonderful at room temperature as it does at warm, and it travels well (see this post for my favorite lunch-packing ideas and suggestions!).

Pomegranate Rice Salad

This festive Christmas side dish of rice salad is flecked with red, white, and green. However, we cook it all through the fall and winter since it’s so good! Make-ahead advice: Prepare the rice ahead of time and keep it chilled until you’re ready to prepare the dish.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked long grain rice, any kind – see options below
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch of scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ⅓ cup toasted, chopped pistachios
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup pomegranate arils
• ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Roasted Chickpeas, optional

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, plus 1 teaspoon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Creating the dressing Olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and a dash of pepper should all be combined in a small bowl. Place aside.
2. In a big skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. For one minute, sauté the scallions, garlic, salt, and pepper until tender. Turn down the heat to low and stir in the cooked rice, breaking up any clumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Heat until thoroughly warmed. Add the dressing, pomegranates, parsley, and pistachios after turning off the heat. If using, garnish with mint leaves and roasted chickpeas. Serve after flavoring to taste.

Notes

• Cooking brown/wild rice mixture: 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and 1 cup of washed rice are combined in a pot and brought to a boil. For 45 minutes, simmer with the lid on and the heat reduced. Take it off the heat, cover it, and let it stand for 10 minutes. With a fork, fluff. cooks 3 cups of rice.
• Cooking white basmati rice.1 cup washed rice, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon olive oil should all be put in a pot and brought to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on and the heat down. After removing it from the heat, leave it covered for an additional 10 minutes. With a fork, fluff. cooks 3 cups of rice.