I call this my “old faithful salad”. It’s so tasty, it’s almost addictive! This Rice and Spinach Salad is a hearty salad filled with cold cooked long grain rice, bright green healthy fresh spinach, veggies, dried fruits and nuts, and tangy crumbled Feta. A light vinaigrette dressing is all that is needed to complete this tasty salad.
This is not a difficult salad to make though it does require the cooking and cooling of long grain rice, the chopping of vegetables, and the making of the vinaigrette. With that, there is some advance prep work required.
If baby spinach is available, it works perfectly in this salad as the leaves can be left whole and distinguishable. If the leaves are large, they will need to be torn into bite-sized pieces.
The flavor of the salad can be altered by the choice of olive oil and vinegar in the dressing. While plain olive oil and a standard white vinegar certainly work, it’s also fun to vary the flavor by adding a flavored-infused olive oil such as Basil, Roasted Garlic, or Tuscan Herb olive oil, and by switching up white vinegar with a red wine or champagne vinegar. I don’t tend to use balsamic vinegar in this dressing as I find it is a bit heavy for this salad in combination with the soy sauce. Whatever oil and vinegar you choose to use, I recommend ensuring it is of high quality as it really makes a difference in a vinaigrette where the taste and flavor is especially evident.
The Rice and Spinach Salad is hearty enough to take in the lunch bag for a tasty lunch. Just be sure to keep the vinaigrette dressing separate and add it to the salad ingredients just a few minutes before consuming. Adding the dressing too far in advance can cause the spinach to have a wilted appearance.
I have sized this salad for about 4-5 servings. It is, however, scalable, meaning it can be made in smaller or larger quantity. It goes well with many meals and is a lovely deviation from a standard tossed green salad. It is also one I have made and taken to many potlucks over the years and the bowl always comes back empty!
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Rice and Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
Salad:
¾ cup raw long-grain rice, cooked according to package directions, and cooled completely
2-3 oz fresh spinach (preferably small leaf; if large, torn into bite-sized pieces)
¾ cup celery, chopped
2/3 cup sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
½ cup white button mushrooms, sliced
½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
½ cup peanuts or cashews
1/3 cup red onion, diced or sliced
1/3 – ½ cup crumbled Feta
Vinaigrette Dressing:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil (plain or flavor-infused)
1½ tbsp vinegar (e.g., white, red wine, or champagne vinegar)
½ tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced
Chopped fresh herbs (e.g., parsley, dill, oregano, thyme) (optional)
Sprinkle of fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Vinaigrette Dressing: Combine all ingredients in small dish. Whisk ingredients well to combine. Set aside.
Salad: Cook rice according to package directions. Cool completely. Wash and chop/slice vegetables. Measure out all ingredients.
Assembly: In serving bowl, combine the cold cooked rice with all other ingredients except the Feta. Toss gently to combine. About 15-20 minutes prior to serving, drizzle enough of the dressing over salad mixings to lightly coat. Refrigerate. At time of serving, add more vinaigrette dressing if needed and sprinkle the crumbled Feta over top of salad.
Yield: Apx. 4-5 servings
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Rice and Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- ¾ cup raw long-grain rice, cooked according to package directions, and cooled completely
- 2-3 oz fresh spinach (preferably small leaf; if large, torn into bite-sized pieces)
- ¾ cup celery, chopped
- 2/3 cup sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup white button mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
- ½ cup peanuts or cashews
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced or sliced
- 1/3 – ½ cup crumbled Feta
Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil (plain or flavor-infused)
- 1½ tbsp vinegar (e.g., white, red wine, or champagne vinegar)
- ½ tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Chopped fresh herbs (e.g., parsley, dill, oregano, thyme) (optional)
- Sprinkle of fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Vinaigrette Dressing: Combine all ingredients in small dish. Whisk ingredients well to combine. Set aside.
- Salad: Cook rice according to package directions. Cool completely. Wash and chop/slice vegetables. Measure out all ingredients.
- Assembly: In serving bowl, combine the cold cooked rice with all other ingredients except the Feta. Toss gently to combine. About 15-20 minutes prior to serving, drizzle enough of the dressing over salad mixings to lightly coat. Refrigerate. At time of serving, add more vinaigrette dressing if needed and sprinkle the crumbled Feta over top of salad.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 4-5 servings
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You may also enjoy these other salad recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen:
Watermelon, Cucumber, and Red Onion Salad with Feta
Classic Broccoli Salad
Beet, Watermelon, and Dragon Fruit Salad
Chicken and Quinoa Salad with Star Anise and Orange Vinaigrette
Potato Salad
Pasta Salad
Grilled Peach Salad with Peach Balsamic Vinaigrette
Grilled Chicken, Strawberries, and Feta Cheese Salad
