As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!

As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!

I have been experiencing a lot of guilt lately at the thought of animals having to give up their life in order for me to eat. As a result, I’ve been eating a lot more veggies and grains, as you may have noticed. 

And salads. Lots of those! 

So yeah, today I’m offering you yet another salad recipe, one that’s filled with tons of bell peppers and beautiful blend of wild rice, and about as much flavor as it has colors! Perhaps even more! 

Funny thing is bell peppers aren’t one of those veggies that I’ll think of using on a regular basis, especially not in their raw form, and even less make them the star of the show.

It’s not that I don’t like bell peppers, but to be honest, I’m not particularly fond of them… 

This salad, however? I would eat until the end of times! It’s got so much flavors and textures going on, you won’t believe how good it is! 

Seriously, I think you totally need to try it for yourself… 

Cooked wild rice blend cooling in saucepan

Since it’s a salad we’re making and not a rice dish, you’ll want to give your rice plenty of time to cool before you use it. Room temperature or just slightly warm is what you are looking for.

So start by cooking one cup of rice according to the instructions on the package (I chose to use a Wild Rice Blend, but feel free to use your favorite rice) and then let it cool down for about one hour.

As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!

While the rice is cooking and cooling, you can take the opportunity to prep all your veggies

Once that’s done, place them in a large mixing bowl, where you’ll also be adding the rice once it’s sufficiently cooled. 

Vinaigrette poured over bell pepper salad

In a separate container (I like to use a small measuring cup for that)combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and whisk until well combined; pour over the reserved salad and stir well.

Once that’s done, you have a few options… Technically, your salad could be served right away, but it would greatly benefit from sitting in the fridge for a couple of hours, to allow all those beautiful flavors to meld and develop to their full potential.

As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!

If you choose to serve your salad right away, then by all means, toss in your toasted almonds at once! If you are going to let your salad sit for a while, though, I strongly suggest that you wait until you are ready to serve before adding your almonds, otherwise they will become kinda soft.

But ultimately, the choice is yours. If you don’t mind soft almonds and prefer to add them right away, feel free to do just that. The plus side of doing that is that they are going to greatly contribute to the exchange of flavors!

As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!

Should you generate leftovers, know that this salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a few days. While it might not look quite as good then —  a little bit a wilting is to be expected — it will taste just as fantastic, if not better! 

As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!
As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!
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5 from 4 votes

Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rice cooling time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
As tasty as it is colorful, filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, this Bell Pepper Wild Rice Salad makes for a perfect side dish or light vegetarian meal!
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wild rice blend, or other rice of your choice
  • 4 bell peppers, 1 orange, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green, diced
  • 1 cup sliced Kalamata olives, pitted
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted*
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion, chopped

Vinaigrette

Instructions

  • Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package and let it cool down to room temperature, about one hour.
  • Then, prep all your veggies and place them in a large mixing bowl, along with the cooled rice.
  • In a separate container, combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and whisk until well combined; pour over the reserved salad and stir well.
  • Serve immediately or leave in the fridge for a few hours to allow flavors to develop.
  • Stir in toasted almonds at the moment of serving.
  • This salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a few days

Notes

*To toast the almonds, place them in a dry skillet set over medium-low heat and cook them, stirring often, until slightly golden and fragrant.

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 1063mg, Potassium: 461mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 4620IU, Vitamin C: 163.4mg, Calcium: 238mg, Iron: 2.4mg
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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