A colorful wild rice salad that’s loaded with all the delicious flavors! Wild rice, crunchy walnuts, roasted sweet potatoes, savory feta cheese, and the creamiest green goddess tahini dressing come together to form this delicious summer dish.
Wild Rice Salad
If you’re looking for a new way to switch up your meal prep, or want something fancy to serve your friends and family, this wild rice salad is the perfect dish for you.
It’s seriously bursting with so many delicious flavors- and it looks beautiful too!
Wild rice, sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, walnuts and greens come together to form a sweet, savory and flavorful dish. The green goddess tahini sauce drizzled over the top is just *chef’s kiss*
Green Goddess Tahini
The true star of this dish is the green tahini dressing. It’s filled with fresh herbs, and can be served as a dip or salad dressing with any meal!
Here’s what you’ll need to make the green goddess tahini sauce:
- tahini (sesame paste)- tahini adds a creamy, nutty flavor to the dressing
- water
- olive oil
- garlic
- parsley, basil and mint leaves- these herbs add delicious flavor to the sauce, and give it that gorgeous green color
- honey- for a touch of added sweetness
- lemon juice
- salt & pepper
The wild rice is made with a blend of black, red, brown and white rice. It has a nutty flavor, and adds the perfect heartiness to this dish. It’s a good source of B vitamins, and adds a little extra fiber and protein to this meal.
The wild rice acts as the perfect base to this salad, and is a nutrient-dense whole-grain to add into your meal prep rotation.
Tips for the best wild rice salad
This dish comes together in just a few simple steps. If you wanted to prepare some of the components of this salad in advance, here’s what you can do to simplify the process-
Cook the rice in advance
The wild rice takes about 45-50 minutes to cook, so preparing it 1-2 days in advance is a good option if you plan ahead!
Blend the green goddess tahini sauce ahead of time
The tahini sauce will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week, so blending it ahead of time can also save some time and dishes if you’re serving this to a crowd.
Customize the toppings to your liking
The components of this salad are 100% customizable. When deciding what toppings best suit your taste, keep these flavor points in mind-
- something green– I used arugula, but kale or spinach are great options
- a little crunch– the walnuts add a delicious crunchy texture, but slivered almonds or pine nuts are also an idea!
- something sweet– the pomegranate seeds offer are a delicious finishing sweet touch, but you can swap them with freshly sliced apples or pears to change things up
- something savory- to balance out the flavors, I like adding feta cheese for a salty feel. Goat cheese or any other crumbled cheese of your liking can be used instead
This wild rice salad with green goddess tahini sauce is nutritious, flavorful, and a delicious side dish to any meal! I can’t wait for you guys to try it 🙂
What to serve with your wild rice salad:
Everything Crusted Salmon Bites
Lentil Burgers
BBQ Spiced Salmon
Maple Tahini Tofu
Wild Rice Salad with Green Goddess Tahini
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend
- 1/2 tsp salt
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Salad Toppings
- 1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2-3 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
Green Goddess Tahini
- 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup parsley
- 1/3 cup basil
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1 tsp honey
- Juice from 1/2 lemon, about 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste, about 1/2 tsp
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F.
- Rinse the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes. Toss them together with the 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt, garlic powder and cinnamon. Bake for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Prepare your rice as instructed on package. Once ready, set aside.
- While the rice and the sweet potatoes cook, prepare your green tahini sauce by blending all of the sauce ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Add more water by the tablespoon if needed to thin it out.
- Once the rice is ready, season it with salt.
- Transfer your rice to a large shallow serving dish, and start layering your toppings starting with the arugula, then sweet potatoes, onions, feta cheese, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds.
- When ready to serve, drizzle your tahini dressing over the top, and serve the dish cold or at room temperature! I suggest mixing the tahini in only when ready to serve.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week. Store the rice mixture in an airtight container, and the tahini in a separate container.
My family loved this!
So glad to hear!
Loved this bowl. The wild rice added so much umami and when scooped over the arugula the lettuce wilted just the right amount. The roasted sweet potatoes were the prefect offset to the goat cheese. I mourn that pomegranate was not in season when I made this since that would have put it over the top. I think the tahini was mis-named. I was afraid they were going for the taste of green goddess dressing but that thankfully was not what I got from the tahini dressing – I went a little heavy on the basil and lemon since that was what my garden is throwing at me and we wanted to slather than dressing on everything.
I’m so happy you tried it, Heather! The “green-godess” was more for the inclusion of fresh herbs, but the tahini flavor definitely overpowers