My Harvest Wild Rice Salad recipe is a delicious celebration of the season and a holiday potluck masterpiece. Have you been asked to bring a side? Go bold with a colorful healthy rice pilaf ~ this vibrant Thanksgiving side dish is naturally gluten free, vegetarian, and guaranteed to blow everybody away!
This post is sponsored by Ello.
My harvest wild rice salad is ideal for Thanksgiving, the ultimate potluck!
I’m the perpetual Thanksgiving guest. I don’t know how it worked out this way, but I rarely host that particular holiday, and so it goes without saying that cooking up a massive turkey is not my thing. But I’ve more than made up for it with my enthusiasm for the sides! I have an absolute passion for holiday sides, and that goes for salads, breads, sauces, gravies, and classic casseroles. If you were seated next to me at Thanksgiving you’d notice I take the tiniest slice of turkey, and then proceed to inundate it with cranberry sauce, stuffing, beans, potatoes… whatever’s on offer that year, and by the time I’m finished there’s no sign of the turkey at all. Just the way I like it 🙂
So when Ello asked me to help spread the word about their new line of silicone sleeved DuraGlass Bakeware, (on sale at Target and Target.com now) I jumped at the chance to showcase this gorgeous rice salad, just perfect for toting to a festive occasion in one of Ello’s cute bake-and-take vessels.
You don’t have to choose between beautiful and portable with this vibrant Thanksgiving salad and Ello.
This isn’t my first go around with silicone, I’ve adored it for years. I love the way it functions, I love the bright colors, and I love the way it feels. I think it’s the best material for everything from basting brushes and ice cube trays to cookie sheet liners. I have my silicone sleeved water bottle by my side all day long, and I’m so glad I can now add bakeware to my growing collection.
I build my harvest wild rice salad right in my Duraglass dish.
I start with a base mixture of wild and black rice, mixed with some of the dressing while still warm so it absorbs right in. Then I add my other ingredients in colorful strips. I dress the whole salad with a simple walnut oil and fig vinaigrette, but leave the tossing till I get to my destination, that way I can do a dramatic reveal of the composed dish. It stays fresh and perfectly totable in the Ello 9×13 baker.
Silicone + glass is a dream team
Silicone is famous for its flexibility, and the fact that it can take crazy high heat. It goes from oven to freezer, to dishwasher and amazingly never wears out. My pieces have been in the dishwasher countless times and they still look like new, the silicone doesn’t break down at all.
Silicone forms a ‘sleeve’ on these glass bakers, which acts to protect the glass, and forms a built in trivet. It keeps the dishes from clanging, a huge bonus in my crowded cupboards, and I just love the way it feels in my hands. Silicone’s non-slip properties keep the dishes super steady in the car, too. I don’t have to take every turn super slow, or worry about speed bumps on my way to the holiday potluck.
I’ve slowly been replacing all my kitchen plastic with glass.
Plastic is an eco disaster and I’m determined to cut it out of my life as much as possible. Glass is more practical, anyway, it doesn’t stain, or hold aromas, or leach chemicals, so it’s ideal for food storage. And when I put so much effort into my cooking it’s nice to be able to show it off in a beautiful container. Just look at that crystal clear Triton lid, above, you hardly know it’s there. Perfect for my work-of-art salad 🙂
TIP: When I want to show some special love to a friend or neighbor, I’ll cook up something wonderful and make the glass pan part of the gift.
Harvest wild rice salad ingredient road map, from left to right ~
- apples
- red onion
- celery
- toasted hazelnuts
- red beets
- golden raisins
- black seedless grapes
- crumbled feta cheese
- roasted Brussels sprouts
- roasted butternut squash
- roasted cranberries (not shown in the photo above)
- wild rice combined with black rice
- pomegranate seeds for garnish (not shown)
Can you make this harvest wild rice salad ahead?
- That’s the beauty of this salad, it will get better after a day in the fridge.
- The Ello Duraglass baker doubles as the best food storage you can find. The lid is airtight, it’s neat, and it stacks. Snap on the lid and chill.
- You can leave it like I did, without tossing, or you can toss, it’s your choice.
- Keep back some extra dressing for adding right before serving.
Harvest Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup walnut oil (substitute olive)
- 5 Tbsp fig vinegar (substitute balsamic)
- sea salt
Salad
- 3 cups cooked wild rice
- 3 cups cooked black rice (Forbidden rice)
- sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 medium red beet, boiled, peeled, and chopped
- 1 cup diced and roasted butternut squash
- 1 cup roasted baby Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered if large
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup seedless grapes, halved if large
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, rough chopped (roasting directions below)
- 1 cup sliced celery hearts (leaves too!)
- 1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion
- 1 apple, diced (toss with lemon juice to prevent browning)
- 1/2 cup roasted cranberries (dierections below)
Garnish
- pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk the oil and vinegar together until they emulsify (get creamy and thick and don't separate.) Taste and adjust the oil to vinegar ratio if you like. Add salt to taste.
- While the rice is still warm, dress with some of the dressing. This allows it to sink in and flavor the rice. Spread the rice out in your serving dish.
- Top the rice with the rest of the salad ingredients, arranged in strips, if you like. You can cover and refrigerate just like this for up to a day. Toss with more dressing before serving. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
To roast cranberries
- Put the cranberries on a baking sheet and roast in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, just until they turn glossy and start to pop.
To roast hazelnuts
- Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes until fragrant and beginning to turn golden. Give the pan a shake once or twice while baking.
More vibrant holiday salads!
- Kale and Butternut Salad
- Wheat Berry Salad with Beets and Feta
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pomelo Salad
- Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad
- Pear Salad with Creamy Walnut Vinaigrette
- Roasted Apple and Radicchio Salad
Looks great. If you make ahead, do you serve this cold then? Thanks!
Yes, serve cold or room temp as a salad.
I’m a huge fan of Ello’s bakeware and storage containers too Sue! This salad is perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday! I definitely need to give your recipe a try. I’m sure it would be a hit with my family and friends. Pinned!
What a gorgeous salad! This looks so beautiful and perfect for the holidays! Loving all the colors of this dish.
I really think holiday tables need a bold pop of color 🙂
That is a simply gorgeous salad! And I can’t believe the lid on this Ello Duraglass! It is so awesome! Can’t wait to get one for myself!
I know, can you imagine taking this in old school tupperware?
I love Black rice! Such a unique flavor and texture. This salad is amazing and so flavorful with all the textures and wonderful flavors I’m in salad heaven.
I often combine wild and black rice, the combo is perfect.
Love this idea for meal prepping. It’s different and delicious!
This salad is a combination of such amazing ingredients. Lovely fruits, dry fruits and nuts too. What a colorful and perfect festive dinner platter.
Oh Sue, it is so good like a dream! Thank you!
This is beautiful!!!! Stunning presentation…will be making this very soon!
Thanks Stacey, it’ll be a guaranteed hit for you!