Brown rice is given a Greek twist with roasted cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, creamy feta and kalamata olives.
It is hard to believe that a year ago today, I was in the hospital getting ready to have my first baby! Tomorrow my son turns one and I honestly can’t believe it.
Everyone warned me it would fly by and I knew it would as well. The first year is such a crazy blurr of desperately trying to sleep, shower and wear clean clothes that before you know it: he’s headed to preschool!
Needless to say, we are celebrating BIG this weekend! In honor of the cake, ice cream and celebratory beer for Mommy and Daddy, I am sharing one of my favorite “back on track” recipes. Or, as I like to call it “back in the salad.”
Greek salad and all of it’s salty, crunchy, creamy, briny goodness is one of my go-to favorite ways to serve whole grains. I’ve done it before and I’m doing it again, my friends.
In the meantime, I have a little boy to snuggle.
Your fork is waiting.
Brown Rice Greek Salad
Ingredients
- 1 c brown rice prepared
- 1 c chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 c cherry tomatoes roasted or fresh see below for directions on roasting
- 1 c cucumber diced
- 1/2 c scallions minced
- 1/2 c corn fresh, frozen, leftover grilled, etc.
- 1/4 c feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 c kalamata olives
- 1 Zest and juice of lemon
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs dried oregano
- 1 tbs dried mint
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To roast cherry tomatoes, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking pan with an even layer of tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes; let cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine brown rice with tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, scallions, corn, feta and olives.
- Stir in lemon juice, zest, olive oil, oregano, mint, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Video
Nutrition Information:
Be sure to follow my {Satisfying Salad Recipes} Board on Pinterest!
Stacey Shubitz
January 18, 2019 at 9:45 pmMy two-year-old adores this recipe as much as I do!
Liz DellaCroce
January 20, 2019 at 10:24 amI’m so happy to hear that Stacey!!
Gretchen Garrison
June 11, 2018 at 5:04 pmI have been looking for easy summer recipes. Guessing it would also taste good if I added chicken. Excited for another recipe where I can use mint!
Liz DellaCroce
June 14, 2018 at 4:23 pmOh yes!! I love mint! Enjoy!
Kitty H.
March 1, 2018 at 8:17 pmWe’re new to the whole brown rice thing and we’ve cooked it a few times, and it’s still coming out still crunchy! What do you do to make sure yours is soft enough to absorb all the flavors you’re mixing in with this awesome sounding salad? I want to make this so badly and I could sub white rice my husband and I are both having to switch to whole grains for our diets. Please share your trick!
Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
March 3, 2018 at 3:15 pmYou need to find a good brand! I love the Trader Joe’s frozen organic brown rice or the Uncle Ben’s 90 second brown rice. I’ve used Japanese style brown rice also but each brand is different so you have to follow their specific instructions I’m afraid. Another option is bulgur, spelt, farro or freekah. I love Bob’s Red Mill brand of all of those!
dana
August 2, 2017 at 5:35 pmI doubled the recipe,, added 1 1/2 cups of artichoke hearts (water base, drained.) Reduced the amount of mint to 1 tsp. It was a huge hit for everyone, even the ones who don’t care for brown rice! The roasted cherry tomatoes are really easy to do (I just cut them in half and followed the directions, perfect!) I did keep the lemon zest down to one lemon w/juice, even after doubling the recipe.
The only thing I will do differently next time is add a bit more corn and those delicious roasted tomatoes!
PS. We were camping, I forgot to bring the garbanzo beans so used kidney beans instead. It was still delicious!
Liz DellaCroce
August 2, 2017 at 10:42 pmWhat a great idea! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Emla
February 1, 2016 at 9:22 pmYou have a child only one year old who is in preschool??
Liz DellaCroce
February 2, 2016 at 10:44 amHi Emma – No my boys are 4 and 2… my oldest didn’t start preschool until he was 4 years old. What makes you think I have a 1 year old in preschool?
KhadijahRising
March 23, 2018 at 1:53 pmHi, this recipe looks amazing. I think she thought that, because you said you were int he hospital a year ago giving birth and that your son is turning one and going to preschool….? I did a double take as well, but got distracted by the awesome salad to dwell on it! Thank you so much. I’m going to give it a try tonight!
KhadijahRising
March 23, 2018 at 1:55 pmJust realized that the comment was from a couple of years ago, I Bern your boys are so much older now! Thanks again!
Liz DellaCroce
March 23, 2018 at 4:08 pmYes they’re 4 and 6 now. :) Enjoy the recipe!!
Mary
January 25, 2015 at 2:20 pmWow sounds amazing. I am going to try this today so I can take with me to work for the week. Do you think this will stay good for the week? Also, can I use canned corn? Thanks for the lovely recipes.
Liz DellaCroce
January 25, 2015 at 3:30 pmYes to both! It will last a week and canned corn works great! Frozen too!
Mary
January 26, 2015 at 3:05 pmYum yum yum. Just made this and its amazing. Going to pack some for work tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe!!
Liz DellaCroce
January 27, 2015 at 3:55 pmSo glad you liked it Mary!
Cathy
September 25, 2014 at 4:39 amSounds really good. I wanna try making it with quinoa
Liz DellaCroce
September 25, 2014 at 10:06 amLet me know how it turns out Cathy!
Heather
July 17, 2014 at 1:52 pmThis was divine! I used pre-cooked frozen brown rice (thank you Kroger!!) and regular black olives (I don’t like Kalamata). I also HATE Chic-peas, but I ate them anyway and was pleased I couldn’t really taste them. I added shredded cooked chicken to my portion and made it a complete meal. Next time I might cut back on the mint just a bit because it seemed to overwhelm the rest of the seasonings. Although I like feeling like I’ve just chewed gum after I ate. Makes me less nervous about garlic breath! LOL! This is going into my rotation.
Liz DellaCroce
July 17, 2014 at 3:23 pmOh I’m so thrilled to hear you liked it!!! And yes that’s exactly right, fresh mint is similar to parsley and is great for combatting garlic breath. ;-) Thanks for the feedback!
Liz
April 22, 2014 at 2:51 pmJust found your blog and this is the first page I’ve seen. This salad sounds TERRIFIC!
Off to read more. Thanks so much.
Liz DellaCroce
April 23, 2014 at 8:48 amThanks so much Liz!
Jane
September 24, 2013 at 4:15 pmHey Liz, thanks for such a prompt response. Since we know that rice and pasta quantities will double when cooked, I didn’t want the rice to take over the recipe. I love brown rice but I will follow your recipe and I know it will be great!
Jane
September 24, 2013 at 3:24 pmHi Liz. I found this Brown Rice Greek salad recipe on PINTEREST and I’ve already added the ingredients to my grocery list. I plan on making this real soon, looks delish.
My question is about the rice. Did you start with 1 cup of uncooked rice? as this will double when cooked?
Also, Happy Birthday to your little man. He is adorable!
Liz DellaCroce
September 24, 2013 at 4:05 pmHi Jane – Great question! I actually only used 1 cup of cooked brown rice (which was 1/2 cup uncooked.) By the time you add all of the vegetables, beans and other items it bulks up to over 4 cups which is the reason for the 1 cup serving. Of course, feel free to add more rice if you wish!! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes – that is sweet of you!! :)
The Jenny Evolution
June 29, 2013 at 5:30 pmI saw this on a 4th of July roundup and just had to pin it. I hope you’ll share your best post of the week on my Friday Flash Blog Linky Party going on ALL weekend at The Jenny Evolution.
Jennifer
thejennyevolution.com
Nikki
May 8, 2013 at 1:55 pmThis may be a silly question but is this a cold salad or a warm salad??? :)
Liz DellaCroce
May 8, 2013 at 5:49 pmI eat it cold but it would be great warm too!!! :)
Nikki
May 14, 2013 at 1:53 pmOh good. I was thinking of sending this in my husband’s lunch (he works outside) and loves greek flavors. Thanks again for your response. :)
Liz DellaCroce
May 15, 2013 at 6:47 pmHe would love this!! Hope he enjoys Nikki!
Beth
April 5, 2013 at 1:21 pmHow well does this salad keep? If I make it on Sunday, will it keep through the week that I could take it every day for lunch?
Ruth
March 30, 2013 at 3:43 pmthis is so good. I’ve made it 3 times already and have given the recipe out to quite a few of my friends. Thank you so much.
Liz DellaCroce
March 31, 2013 at 9:42 amI’m so glad to hear Ruth!!! Thank you for letting me know!
Nina
March 17, 2013 at 7:44 pmThis was so delicious! Made it exactly as written and it was perfect. So much flavor. Enjoyed it along with some pita bread and hummus. My taste buds are still singing.
Sandi
March 4, 2013 at 12:05 pmI really love your recipes and how your site is designed. Very colorful and easy to navigate. Love your rules for cooking chicken breasts..will follow them! This salad looks delicious and healthy.
Liz DellaCroce
March 4, 2013 at 12:42 pmYou are so sweet – thank you so much for the kind words!!! I hope you enjoy this salad!!
Kelly
February 8, 2013 at 10:05 pmI’m guessing the chickpeas, and everything on the list after ‘olives’, are to be added to the rice/salad, too? Ingredients listed but no further mention in instructions.
Liz DellaCroce
February 8, 2013 at 10:17 pmHi Kelly- I apologize for that- I’m not sure what happened but I must have lost my mind! Recipe has been revised. Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you enjoy the salad!
[email protected]
February 6, 2013 at 9:18 amThis variation of Greek salad really intrigues me. As a Greek myself, we have greek salad at almost every meal of ours, so kalamata olives and feta cheese are ingredients always stored in the refrigerator. So this would be a nice delicious addition to change things up a little bit! Will certainly try that!
Anna
January 22, 2013 at 7:41 pmHave made this many times with slight variations and its fantastic!
visha
November 4, 2012 at 8:42 amWould this still be good the next day? If you kept it overnight?
The Lemon Bowl
November 4, 2012 at 8:47 amAbsolutely! You may need to add more dressing as the rice will continue to absorb but definitely great the next day. Enjoy!
Bree
October 2, 2012 at 9:56 amSounds delicious! I love Greek flavors and make something similar to this one :)
The Lemon Bowl
October 2, 2012 at 10:52 amThanks Bree!! I love Greek flavors as well. And I could eat a block of feta on it’s own…haha
Living The Sweet Life
September 17, 2012 at 1:30 pmFirst, happy birthday to your little man :) He is such a cutie!! I hope you all have a great celebration.
You salad, gorgeous! It looks rich, delicious and packed with a healthy punch – – sounds wonderful to me.
The Lemon Bowl
September 17, 2012 at 1:42 pmThank you so much for the nice words – let me know what you think!! I loved it – so filling and tasty!
Aggie
September 17, 2012 at 12:46 pmThis looks and sounds amazing, I can eat Greek everyday, my favorite flavors. I need to get “back in the salad” bad this week!
The Lemon Bowl
September 17, 2012 at 12:56 pmWell Savannah is a good place to get out of the salad bowl- haha! Btw I love Greek flavors too!
sunithi
September 16, 2012 at 10:17 pmThis is seriously delish ! Looking for interesting ways to spruce up brown rice & this looks so wholesome & fresh ! Oooh the pic of you and your little man is too cute :) Happy birthday !!
The Lemon Bowl
September 17, 2012 at 10:28 amThank you so much!! I am always looking for new ideas for brown rice too. :)
lisaiscooking
September 16, 2012 at 9:06 amGreek salad is one of my favorite things, and it sounds amazing in the form of a grain salad. Love the chickpeas in the salad too. Have fun celebrating your son’s first birthday!
The Lemon Bowl
September 16, 2012 at 9:14 amThank you so much!