Confetti Rice Salad

Chickpea salads are among my favorite lunches—they're easy, nutritious, and affordable, and they taste even better if you make them the night before and let them sit for a while to absorb the.

Recipe Summary Confetti Rice Salad

This confetti rice salad recipe might appear to require lots of slicing and dicing, but truth be told, all the veggies can probably be prepped in less than 15 minutes. In fact, this would be a great recipe to set your benchmark, and then see how you improve over time. Or, just use a food processor to chop everything. Either way, this make-ahead dish will enliven any celebration with its delightful colors.

Ingredients | Carrot Salad Recipes Easy

2 cups long-grain white rice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups boiling water

3 carrots, peeled

½ cup green beans

½ cup frozen green peas, thawed

¼ cup sliced green onions

¼ cup diced red onion

2 large red bell peppers, diced

1 large orange bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

¾ cup sherry vinegar, divided

¾ cup olive oil, divided

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Combine rice, salt, and olive oil in a baking dish. Stir to coat rice completely. Pour in boiling water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven until rice is tender, about 35 minutes.

Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork until no large clumps remain. Let cool until barely warm and almost room-temperature.

Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Slice carrots into long matchsticks. Boil carrots and green beans until beans are bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain and dice vegetables.

Transfer rice to a large mixing bowl. Add carrots, green beans, peas, onions, and bell peppers. Season with salt and cayenne. Pour in 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup oil. Mix thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to let flavors blend, 4 to 24 hours.

Taste and season salad with more salt as needed. Pour in remaining vinegar and oil. Add dill and parsley and mix well. Let salad warm up slightly before serving, if desired.

Cook rice with boiling vegetable or chicken broth, if preferred.

Rice vinegar will also work instead of sherry vinegar.

If you want something creamier, add some mayo, or sour cream, or any combination of both. If you do, I'd cut back on the oil and vinegar a bit, but either way, make sure you hold back some of whatever you're dressing this with. Any dressing you add before it goes in the fridge will be full absorbed, and I think the texture is much nicer if we moisten the salad with more before service.

Feel free to add corn and/or black beans for a heartier salad.

Info | Carrot Salad Recipes Easy

prep: 30 mins cook: 40 mins additional: 4 hrs total: 5 hrs 10 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 12 servings

TAG : Confetti Rice Salad

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