I love to grow arugula in my garden, but the homegrown arugula is much stronger in flavor than the baby arugula you get from the store. I started making this arugula wild rice salad to tame those strong garden fresh flavors!
The wild rice helps to subdue the peppery arugula by bulking up the salad with a mild earthy flavor (which pairs quite nicely). I also add cranberries for sweetness, pecans for crunch and protein, and feta for a salty bite.
The red wine vinaigrette is my one of my all-time favorite dressings. I make it strong with garlic and vinegar. You should make it according to your taste preferences. Below I have outlined some ideas.
Variations to the Arugula Wild Rice Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette recipe:
- Cut back on the boldness of the vinegar by substituting part of it with olive oil, or by using a milder vinegar. Try white wine vinegar instead.
- Try minced shallot in place of the minced garlic if you’re not a big garlic fan. You could also make a larger batch and simply use less garlic.
- Swap in other pantry staples. Try quinoa instead of rice, cherries instead of cranberries, and sunflower seeds instead of pecans.
Arugula Wild Rice Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Prep time
Total time
Author: Alison's Allspice
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 1 entree, or 2-3 sides
Ingredients
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 1 TBS each: red wine vinegar and olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced (1/4-1/2 tsp)
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- Pinch salt
Salad
- 3 cups arugula
- ½ cup cooked wild rice blend
- ¼ cup each: pecans, dried cranberries, and crumbled feta
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette. Toss with arugula. Divide arugula into 2-3 small bowls to make side salads, or 1 large bowl for an entree.
- Top with wild rice, pecans, cranberries and feta cheese.
