Rice Salad With Beans, Lemon and Herbs
If you have leftover rice of almost any kind in the refrigerator or freezer, you can toss this dish together in 15 to 20 minutes. The combination of creamy white beans, rice and bright greens and herbs make for a light main or side dish. You can use canned or homemade beans, add big handfuls of greens or be judicious. Battista suggests adding tinned tuna as well, as an option. Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup cooked white or brown rice (see Note) 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon) or red wine vinegar
2 handfuls mixed young salad greens
2 scallions, sliced
medium sweet white onion (about 4 ounces), peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup (91⁄4 ounces) cooked cannellini beans Leaves from 4 sprigs fresh oregano
Fine salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
tablespoon of the oil along the inside of a large salad bowl. Add the greens, scallions, onion, beans and oregano. Add the rice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Using clean hands or a fork and spoon, gently toss everything together, coating it with the lemon juice and the oil that’s in the bowl.
Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
Note: If you don’t have leftover rice and need to make a fresh batch, the amount of uncooked rice you’ll need to yield 1 cup of cooked rice will vary depending on the chosen rice. For 1 cup of cooked long-grain white rice, rinse cup of rice until the water runs clear. Then, place it in a small, lidded saucepan over medium-high heat. Add teaspoon olive oil and stir to coat the rice. Add cup of water, a pinch of salt, if desired, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.
Storage note: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Adapted from “A New Way to Food” by Maggie Battista (Roost Books, 2019).