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Italian Rice Salad: easy recipe. The best dish for a summer meal

It is springtime here in Italy. Let’s spend some time outdoors and have a picnic. What about a relaxing day trip with family and friends? What food should we put into our picnic basket? Why not some delicious rice salad instead of the same ordinary sandwiches? Fresh and easy to prepare, you can bring this salad anywhere. Just throw it in the cooler and off you go.
Even if you are not taking a day trip, rice salad is a healthy main course for lunch at work or for when you don't have much time to cook. It will easily last a few days in the fridge. 
Rice salad is made mainly of rice, but I sometimes replace it with barley, quinoa, or a combination of grains, and then I add a few ingredients that I have in the fridge. It is easy to prepare because almost any leftovers can be turned into this tasty dish. 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword insalata di riso, rice salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups of arborio rice (360g)
  • ¾ cup of frozen peas (the smaller ones are better) or ¾ cup (100g) of sweet corn  (100g)
  • ⅔ cup of pickled pearl onions (80g)
  • ⅓ cup  of pickled cucumbers (50g)
  • ⅓ cup  of marinated mushrooms (50g)
  • 2 small carrots diced
  • 1 stalk of celery diced
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup of pitted green or black olives
  • 2 medium tomatoes 
  • 1 yellow bell pepper 
  • 1 thin slice of ham chopped
  • ⅓ cup of oil packed tuna
  • ¾ cup of swiss cheese diced
  • 1 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 
  • Juice from half a lemon 
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Servings 6 servings

Instructions

  • Cook the rice in plenty of salted boiling water according to the package instructions (about 12-15 minutes); 
  • Stir the rice once after pouring it into the water, but don’t touch it again; 
  • Taste it for doneness; It should be “al dente.” Don’t overcook it;
  • Rinse it in cold water , which helps keep the rice firm so the grains don’t stick together; 
  • Boil the frozen peas for about 6 minutes and let them cool down completely; 
  • Rinse the pickled cucumbers and mushrooms in a strainer under cold water; dice and put them, into a big salad bowl; 
  • Peel the carrots with a peeler and cut them into small pieces; add to the bowl; 
  • Wash and finely dice the celery and add to the bowl; 
  • Dice the ham, cheese, and tuna and add to the bowl; 
  • Add the rice and two tablespoons of oil; toss until well combined;
  • Season with salt, lemon and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley; 
  • Prepare the hard-boiled eggs; when cool, peel and cut them into 4 wedges; garnish the salad with them;
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight; 
  • Serve it the following day; make sure to toss it well before serving.