Easy Italian Rice Salad

Our simple Italian Rice Salad recipe is packed with vibrant flavours! This easy-to-make dish is a burst of Mediterranean goodness that will leave you craving for more.

This is one of our favourite, easy side dishes. Made with cheats (like microwave rice and shop-bought pesto for speed) you can have this ready in less than 10 minutes. Great for making at a potluck.

This lovely healthy salad is perfect alongside Air Fryer Roast Chicken With Italian Herbs, or with oven baked chicken breast in foil. Or just alongside BBQ food (if the sun is still shining).

Making Our Easy Italian Rice Salad Is A Good Thing, Here’s Why!

It’s super easy - really, so simple! Just ping the rice in the microwave, chop the veggies, toss and eat. It's that easy!

So tasty - the cooking cheats we use pack a big flavour, so this Italian rice salad tastes like you spent a whole lot longer over making it.

Quick to make - you can have this rice salad ready in around 10 minutes, so it's great for busy weeknights when you want delicious food, but not too much faffing around making it.

Easy Rice Salad Recipe 

Serves  – 4 people

Prep Time – 10 mins 

Cooking Time – 4 minutes (for microwave rice sachets - check packet)

Total Time – around 10 minutes as you can prep whilst rice is cooking and cooling

Our Most Popular Alternative – Savoury Rice

Equipment Needed

• Large salad bowl or other large bowl

• Large spoon - for mixing and serving

• Chopping board

• Vegetable knife

• Small bowl

• Tablespoon

Easy Italian Rice Salad Ingredients

Everything you'll need to make a totally delicious, quick rice salad

• Microwave Rice - we use the Tomato & Basil flavor as it matches the Italian vibes, but you can just choose your favourite flavour and use that.

• Mozzarella Pearls - these little balls of mozzarella (sometimes labelled up as Bocconcini)

• Sweetcorn - just a small can

• Red onion - diced finely

• Mixed marinated olives - just choose your favourite, we like the pimento stuffed ones

• Baby vine tomatoes - roughly chopped

• Cucumber - sliced into strips

• Pepper - diced, just choose whichever colour you like

• Basil pesto - to marinate the mozzarella

• Extra virgin olive oil - to marinate the mozzarella

• Fresh herbs - to flavour and garnish

For nutritional information, calories and carbohydrates, check recipe card below

Growing Lettuce In Containers At Home Is Easy - Find Out More Here

How Make Easy Italian Rice Salad

You are going to LOVE just how simple our air fryer chicken recipe is!

Step One – cook the rice

• Cook the rice as per the packet instructions, then tip into the salad bowl and leave to cool for five minutes.

Cooks Note - you can buy some packs of rice that can be eaten straight from the packet, just check the packet instructions and follow them.

Step Two – marinate the mozzarella

• Mix the pesto and olive oil together in a small bowl, then pour over the mozzarella pearls, and mix so that all the mozzarella is coated with the basil pesto.

Step Three - make the easy Italian rice salad

• Add all the chopped vegetables - the sweet corn, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, diced red onion and orange pepper. Add the mozzarella balls to the bowl with the rice.

• Mix everything together gently using a large spoon, so that all the flavours are mingled and you get a good mix of tastes and textures in every bite.

Step Four - serve the rice salad

• Garnish the top of the salad with any herbs you have to hand, we used a little fresh rocket, some rosemary sprigs and a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley.

• Then serve and eat, straight away (do not reheat)

What To Serve With Italian Rice Salad

This easy rice salad recipe is a fantastic side dish and goes with lots of different meals

• Air Fryer Roast Chicken With Italian Herbs

• Oven Baked Chicken Breast In Foil

• Chicken And Halloumi Burgers

• Slow Cooker Shawarma Chicken

What Can I Add To Italian Rice Salad

We've given you a really easy recipe for rice salad, but you can add your own twist, and try out different ingredients

Protein - you can add in tuna fish, different style Italian cheese, diced ham, turkey, chicken or hard-boiled eggs

Extra vegetables - peas, carrot shavings, black olives, cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, sun-dried tomatoes, red bell pepper

Nuts - try pine nuts or chopped walnuts

Use different rice - you can use your favourite rice and cook it from scratch to make this salad if you prefer. Try long-grain rice, basmati rice, or skip the white rice and make a brown rice salad. If cooking your own rice, just boil and drain as per the packet instructions.

You'll need to add some extra flavour - so toss in extra-virgin olive oil, salt, fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar, garlic, black pepper, lots of fresh basil and fresh parsley. You could also make this salad using cauliflower rice.

You could switch this to a grain salad and make it with a healthy grain like quinoa or couscous.

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More Easy Side Dishes To Try

• Air Fryer Potato Wedges With Italian Herbs
• Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
• Spicy Fries
• Crispy Baked Tofu
• Sweet Chilli Potato Wedges
• Burrata Salad