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Wild Rice Salad With Cherry Vinaigrette

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | January 5, 2016
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Topped with hearty wild rice and a sweet cherry vinaigrette, this deliciously satisfying spinach salad can be served as a main dish or simple side.

woman pouring a cherry vinaigrette over a spinach and wild rice salad

I aim for protein and produce at every meal — and I’m all about a simple, delicious salad I can meal prep and eat all week.

This spinach salad is a go-to. The wild rice gives you the warm satisfaction of comfort food while the spinach, celery and onions give you crunchy veggies.

Drizzled with a sweet and tangy cherry vinaigrette this can be a deliciously satisfying main course (I add some rotisserie chicken on top). Or, it can be a simple, hearty side salad that’s sure to be a beautiful addition to any meal. 

Either way you serve it, this salad never goes out of season in my recipe book. (But cherries do go out of season — use dried cherries in the salad and frozen cherries in the vinaigrette, but feel free to use fresh cherries when they are in season!).

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Wild Rice Salad With Cherry Vinaigrette

  • Author: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT
  • Total Time: 50 mins
Print Recipe

Description

Topped with hearty wild rice and a sweet cherry vinaigrette, this deliciously satisfying spinach salad can be served as a main course or simple side.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup wild rice
  • 5–6 cups spinach
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3–4 green onions, chopped
  • ½ c red onion, chopped
  • ½ c fresh/dried cherries
  • ¼ c toasted walnut halves

For the Cherry Vinaigrette:

  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup fresh/frozen (thawed) cherries
  • ½ tsp dry mustard or 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • black pepper and sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil and stir in wild rice. Lower heat, cover and cook the rice until grains are tender (approx. 40 minutes).
  2. While the rice cooks, blend apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cherries (thawed if frozen) and mustard in a blender for the dressing. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine spinach, celery, green onions, red onion, dried cherries and nuts.
  4. Toss salad with ½ of the cherry vinaigrette dressing.
  5. When the rice is finished, drain any excess liquid and let cool.
  6. Add the rice to the salad; toss again with the remainder of the cherry vinaigrette and serve.

Notes

*If serving as a main course, feel free to top the salad with grilled or rotisserie chicken for additional protein.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Category: lunch
  • Cuisine: salad

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Wild Rice Salad FAQs

Can I Customize This Wild Rice Salad?

Absolutely! This is a great base salad that you can customize to your liking. You can mix up the dried fruit, nuts, and other toppings as you’d like to create the salad you want.

Is Wild Rice Gluten Free?

Pure wild rice is naturally gluten-free. Wild rice is a grain that has a chewy texture and a nutty flavor, and it’s rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. That said, some wild rice mixes may contain other ingredients that do contain gluten. Rice mixes, “wheat-free” rice, and rice from certain manufacturers that produce gluten products may also contain gluten, so be sure to check the brand you’re using.

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8 comments

  1. That cherry vinaigrette looks spectacular! I think I could drink it by itself!

    • It’s so good and the masterpiece that pulls the whole salad together for sure! Love all your yummy recipes and of course following you on the IG — you ladies rock; wish you were around when I was in college! xo-Lindsey

    • Hey Girl! Yay for TBP right?! So amazing and bringing so many awesome bloggers together; I love it. Thanks for checking out my blog girl, love what you’ve started on yours as well! xo-Lindsey

  3. This looks so good! I love the idea of putting rice on a salad for a filling meal!

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