Jeweled Rice Salad

This recipe for Jeweled Rice Salad is one of our most requested recipes via Pinterest. Even though we love answering your personal emails, we decided we should share this recipe with the world.

This seasonal salad would be a great addition to your holiday entertaining as not only is it gorgeous but it is bursting with flavor. Caramelized butternut squash, earthy wild rice, and tart pomegranates make it interesting and good for you. It goes really well with a roasted turkey or even elegant pork tenderloin.

Recipe: Jeweled Rice Salad

* this salad pairs nicely with roasted turkey or even pork tenderloin. It can also be served slightly warm; both ways are wonderful. Lightly reheat the rice as well as the squash, just until warm to the touch. Then proceed to start at step 7. Do Ahead: – you can roast the butternut squash up to a day before assembling the salad, and the rice for 2 days. Place into bowls, cover, and refrigerate.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup wild rice
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups diced butternut squash
1/2 cup Italian parsley, rough chop
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice – I use Meyer lemons when I can
1 teaspoon zaatar
kosher salt
black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place them onto a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove the skin and dice the flesh into medium pieces. At this point, you can refrigerate until ready to put the salad together.

Place wild rice into a medium pot of cold water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook until the grains begin to split about 30 minutes.

Combine the long grain rice with 1 1/2 cups of cold water in a medium saucepan, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit until the water is absorbed.

Drain the wild rice, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and drain again. Set aside.

Lightly drizzle a small amount of olive oil over both kinds of rice and fluff with a fork. Let them cool. At this point, you can refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, zaatar, salt, and pepper together.

To assemble the salad mix the kinds of rice, squash, and parsley together in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, and season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.

Place the mixture onto a serving platter. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds.

Serve.

Eat.

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