With sweet squash, salty feta, crunchy pistachios and fruity pomegranate seeds, this Warm Christmas Rice Salad is a real crowd-pleaser. It’s quick and easy to make too – perfect for festive entertaining. Plus the leftovers make an envy-inducing paced lunch the next day!
How I come up with my recipes…
I was asked a few weeks ago how I come up with my recipes and it’s a question I find hard to answer because there are so many different ways!
There are some recipes which just pop into my head like my Peach, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Salad or my Broccoli, Lemon and Chilli Pasta.
There are others, like my Beef Bourguignon and Easy Peasy Prawn Paella, where I have decided what I want to make and then googled lots of recipes to get ideas, before coming up with my own ‘easy peasy’ version.
There are a few which are happy accidents, such as Butternut Squash, Prosciutto and Walnut Pasta.
But the vast majority are born from a collection of influences – like this Warm Christmas Rice Salad.
How this Christmas Rice Salad came about…
It came about partly because I wanted to do something with wild rice, partly because I am in love with pomegranate seeds and pistachio nuts at the moment, partly because I had half a butternut squash left over from making Warm Butternut Squash, Harissa and Halloumi Salad and partly because I wanted to do something that felt Christmassy but that didn’t involve turkey, parsnips or sprouts.
The result is this delicious warm rice salad that oozes joyous festiveness, but which is also completely different from the usual Christmas fayre.
Trying to eat ‘better’ carbs…
As I mentioned above, part of the reason this salad came about is because I wanted to use wild rice. I’ve been quite inspired recently by the likes of Jamie Oliver and his book on superfoods and blogs like Deliciously Ella, which promote eating more wholegrains as being healthier and more nutritionally dense than their white, processed counterparts.
As a result I’m trying to include more wholegrains in my diet. Plus I just think wild rice looks so pretty and tastes amazing. I found a packet I like from Tesco, who stock a mix of Tesco Easy Cook Long Grain And Wild Rice. It’s already partly cooked, so it doesn’t take long to cook, tastes really great and looks so pretty in this salad.
Keeping things easy peasy…
To keep things simple (this blog is not called easy peasy for nothing!), I used ready-prepared pomegranate seeds and pre-shelled pistachio nuts. These are obviously a little more expensive than buying a whole pomegranate and shell-on pistachios, but they do make this salad really quick and easy to put together.
If you want to make your life even easier, you could buy a pack of ready chopped butternut squash from the supermarket, which you can roast from frozen. Though I find, for a salad, it does work better if you roast from fresh (once roasted, the frozen squash is much softer and can end up a big mush when tossed in a salad, if you are not careful!)
Another little trick is that I make the salad in the roasting tray, which helps to keep the salad warm and also minimises washing up.
To simplify even further you can of course serve the salad straight out onto plates, but I love the theatre of a big platter of this salad in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.
Perfect for Boxing Day and New Years Day…
I like to serve this jewelled Christmas Rice Salad warm, but it tastes great cold the next day too and is a good one to make an extra quantity of for packed lunches (my husband had a few jealous colleagues when he took this in for his lunch).
It would also be a lovely unusual dish to take to a Boxing Day or New Year’s Day buffet or pot luck affair. Alternatively it would make a good ‘light dinner’ on Christmas evening – and the leftovers would go brilliantly with the cold roast turkey etc. the next day.
This recipe produces a generous amount for 4 people and is really easily multiplied for larger crowds.
Vegetarian and gluten free…
This dish is vegetarian and gluten free and is really easy to adapt to make it vegan and dairy free too by leaving out the feta. Or you could swap the feta for half a tin of drained kidney beans.
Serving suggestions…
This salad is great as a meal in itself. Alternatively it would go brilliantly with roast meats (hot or cold), such as:
This Christmas Rice Salad would also make a great stuffing to fill aubergines, red peppers or a pumpkin – ideal if you are having vegetarian guests at Christmas.
Wine match…
I would serve this Warm Christmas Rice Salad with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which pairs really well with the bright flavours in this salad.
Warm Christmas Rice Salad with Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 g butternut squash (roughly half a large butternut squash) peeled and chopped into 1cm / ½inch cubes
- Salt and pepper
- 300 g mix of wild and long grain rice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or just regular olive oil if you don’t have extra virgin)
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons mint chopped
- 100 g pomegranate seeds
- 50 g pistachio kernels
- 100 g feta crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Drizzle a roasting tray with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Put the butternut squash cubes into the roasting tray and turn in the oil. Make sure the butternut squash is spread out in 1 layer. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Put the butternut squash in the oven for about 20 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile cook the rice according to packet instructions and then drain the rice thoroughly.
- When the squash and rice are ready, tip the rice into the squash tray. (Be sure the rice is thoroughly drained before you do this.) Squeeze the lemon juice into the tray and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (about 1 tablespoon).
- Add roughly half the chopped mint, pomegranate seeds, pistachio kernels and crumbled feta and mix everything together. Turn out onto a serving platter and scatter with the remaining mint, seeds, pistachios and feta.
Notes
Pin Warm Christmas Rice Salad for later
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Corina says
What a lovely festive salad! I think it would be great with some leftover turkey on Boxing Day. Thank you so much for linking up with #CookOnceEatTwice again.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Corina! I know, it really does look festive, doesn’t it? And it tastes fab cold the next day too – hence a great candidate for #CookOnceEatTwice! Oooh love the idea of having it with turkey on boxing day. Thanks for hosting! Eb x
Anca says
It looks wonderful, so colourful. It’s a lovely dish.
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Anca!
Grubby Little Faces says
You have so many delicious fresh flavours in this salad. I can imagine really enjoying this after the heavy foods of Christmas day and it looks so pretty. Thank you for linking up to #LoveSeasonalFood it’s always a pleasure to see you and your delicious recipes there. Clare x
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Clare! Such a nice comment!! X
Charlotte Oates says
What a lovely combination of flavours – sounds delicious.
I’m definitely the sort of person that buys pre-chopped butternut squash. Peeling and chopping squash is one of my least favourite kitchen prep jobs. I had no idea you could buy frozen chopped squash, I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it next time I shopping.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Charlotte! I know – chopping a butternut squash can be a bit of a pain, cant it? Although I have discovered it is much easier if you don’t bother using a peeler and just chop the skin off with a sharp knife. Or actually sometimes I leave it on, depending on the recipe, and it’s actually quite nice! Eb x
Natalie Tamara says
This looks lovely and so festive – it’d make a perfect lighter, healthier lunch in between the other Christmas treats! Butternut squash and pomegranate are such a good combo too 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Natalie! Yes, I agree – the perfect dish when all the richer food gets a bit too much! Eb x
Only Crumbs Remain / Angela says
This sounds so delicious Eb. It’s right up OH and my street – we adore feta and butternut squash. Pinning for the new year when we will no doubt be needing something a little healthier!
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Angela! It does taste rather wonderful. I am also a big feta and butternut squash fan – such great flavours!! Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
What a beautiful and very colourful salad Eb. Full of al my favourite things….. I love roasted butternut and am particularly drawn to your addition of feta and mint in this dish…. Warm salads are particularly lovely at this time of year and I could happily eat a bowlful of this one!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Kate. I am a big fan of warm salads. Quick and simple to make but warm and comforting too…just right for this time of year! I absolutely adore all the flavours in this salad. They all just seem to work with each other – I’m really into mint and feta at the moment…and pomegranate seeds…I tend to throw them at everything…sometimes it works, as in this salad…sometimes not so much (those experiments don’t make it to the blog!) Thanks for commenting! Eb x
Cliona Keane says
This is such a colourful choice for Christmas and much lighter than everything else that’ll be on offer which I love! It’s going to go down particularly well with the veggies at Christmas dinner too!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Cliona! Yes you are right – much lighter than your standard Christmas fayre – but no less tasty!! Eb x
Corina Blum says
This recipe sounds delicious and looks really pretty too – so colourful! Wild rice is great for salads as it’s got that lovely chewy texture. I will definitely have to look out for some as it’s a while since I’ve had it. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina – ah you know what I’m like – I eat with my eyes and I just love pretty colourful food! And yes, totally agree with you about wild rice. Eb x
Balvinder says
I love salads with rice and squash, but mine are just simple! Yours looks so exotic.
Eb Gargano says
Ah – thanks Balvinder – mine is actually really simple too. I just love making food that looks impressive, but is secretly very easy!! 😀 Eb x
Mayuri Patel says
A colorful, festive and tempting salad. Such a treat for the eyes. I’d love to have this just not during the festival but any time of the year.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mayuri! I agree, this salad tastes wonderful at any time of year!! Eb x