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Wild Rice Salad with Apples, Pomegranate, Cranberries, and Walnuts

This festive winter salad recipe makes for a beautiful easy side dish for holiday parties, lunches, and weeknight dinners.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Cooling Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 6 people, as a side
Calories: 4722 kcal
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American-Mediterranean Fusion

Ingredients

For the Dressing
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
  • 1 1/2 cups wild rice
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 2 crisp semi-sweet apples (I used a combination of Granny Smith and honeycrisp), chopped
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds (from about 1 small pomegranate)
  • 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Parsley Leaves
  • 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and honey. Add the garlic powder, sumac, and a large pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk continuously as you drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
  2. Cook the wild rice. Cook the rice according to the package instructions (mine took about 40 minutes). Transfer to a large serving bowl.
  3. Mix the salad. When the rice has cooled just slightly (but not completely), add the spinach, apples, shallots, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, dried cranberries, parsley, and mint.
  4. Dress and rest. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking, then set aside to cool completely before serving, and serve at room temperature.

Notes

  • Bring to room temperature before serving. 
  • as warm rice will do a better job of soaking in the flavorful dressing.
  • I used water, but you can use low-sodium
  • chicken
  • or vegetable broth to cook the rice if you’d like. Just be sure to cook it until it’s tender but not mushy. It should still have some resistance when you chew it, but no crunchy or chalky center.
  • to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including
  • olive oils
  • ,
  • honey
  • ,
  • jams
  • , and
  • spices
  • .
  • Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. 
  • Dress the salad while the rice is still warm, as warm rice will do a better job of soaking in the flavorful dressing.
  • I used water, but you can use low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth to cook the rice if you’d like. Just be sure to cook it until it’s tender but not mushy. It should still have some resistance when you chew it, but no crunchy or chalky center.
  • Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.

Nutrition Information

Calories 472.2kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 56.7g (19%) Protein 10.2g (20%) Fat 25.8g (40%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10.8g Monounsaturated Fat 10.7g Sodium 18.3mg (1%) Potassium 476.8mg (14%) Fiber 6.7g (27%) Sugar 20.1g (40%) Vitamin A 1530.6IU (31%) Vitamin C 18.3mg (20%) Calcium 61.7mg (6%) Iron 2.5mg (14%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people, as a side

Amount Per Serving

Calories 4722

% Daily Value*

Calories 472.2kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 56.7g 19%
Protein 10.2g 20%
Fat 25.8g 40%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 10.8g 64%
Monounsaturated Fat 10.7g 54%
Sodium 18.3mg 1%
Potassium 476.8mg 10%
Fiber 6.7g 27%
Sugar 20.1g 40%
Vitamin A 1530.6IU 31%
Vitamin C 18.3mg 20%
Calcium 61.7mg 6%
Iron 2.5mg 14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.