Aggie's Kitchen

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts | Aggie's Kitchen

I really can’t believe we are in the month of May already. The kids have started their countdown until summer vacation starts, and to be honest so have I. It’s always bittersweet ending another school year and watching your kids grow up right before your eyes – but I truly look forward to not having to set an alarm clock or pack lunches or being on any kind of schedule for a couple of months. Lazy days ahead!!

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts | Aggie's Kitchen

Warm weather dinners, the kind where most of your food is cooked out on the grill or prepped ahead of time and served chilled, are my favorite. I love the early evenings of summer where the kids are jumping into the pool while I’m getting the grill ready for dinner. We had one of those nights recently, though it was a school night it felt like a carefree summer night. The kids were getting into the pool to swim for the first time this season, and although the water was still a little chilly, they hung in there for a good hour or so going back and forth to the hot tub to warm up every now and then. Seeing them outside having so much fun instantly put me into that summer mood…the one where if I wasn’t pregnant I would have poured myself a glass of chilled white wine or made myself a Captain & (diet) Coke with extra lime and sat in the lounger to watch them play. I settled for a glass of ice water instead. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts | Aggie's Kitchen

Grilled chicken (like this Italian Herb Grilled Chicken) and veggies always come into play when that summer mood hits and it just happened to be on the menu that night. That and this unbelievably fresh and delicious Herbed Wild Rice Salad. I actually prepped it earlier in the day while the kids were still at school using leftover rice from the night before’s dinner (glad I made a double batch!) and fresh herbs from my little garden. I swear, I could not stop eating this stuff. It’s dressed very simply with a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse salt and pepper. But the toasted pine nuts paired with the fresh herbs put this leftover rice over the top.

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts | Aggie's Kitchen

I see this simple rice salad becoming a staple this summer. I love that you can make it ahead, and change it up based on what you’re serving or what you have (this one I made a few years ago might give you some ideas!). And it’s the absolute perfect side dish to bring to your summer potlucks and barbecues.

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts | Aggie's Kitchen

 

Print Recipe

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked wild rice, chilled
  • big bunch of herbs (I used a combo of basil, Italian parsley, thyme, oregano and tarragon), chopped
  • small jar of pine nuts (1 3/4 oz), lightly toasted (about 1/4 cup)
  • olive oil
  • coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

  1. Combine rice, herbs and pine nuts in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil in and gently toss. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and taste. Adjust to your liking. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

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More tasty warm weather dinners:

Barefoot Contessa’s Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

Grilled Chicken Summer Salad with Mango

Blackened Salmon Fajita Bowl

Grilled Veggie Naan Pizza with Pesto

Chipotle Salmon Tacos

Blackened Fish Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

 

And a couple family pics taken this past weekend. My son, Sammy, celebrated is First Holy Communion – we were so proud of him. What a great day! My kids are totally growing up.

First Communion Collage

 

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28 comments on “Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts”

  1. Congratulations on your son’s First Communion. And I love this rice salad recipe. It’s easy and I think it can stand as a meal on its own if one has leftover rice and doesn’t feel like cooking.

  2. I have been pinning every single one of your recipes lately! They have all looked so good and this one is no exception. I’m pretty much sold on anything with pine nuts, but this has so much great stuff going on! Love it!

  3. I can’t believe it’s May either. I love everything about this, Aggie. Pine nuts get me every time!

  4. This sounds so wonderful! Love all of the green herbs. ๐Ÿ™‚

    And your kids look so grown up! Such a sweet family photo!

  5. I’m so excited to finally see this recipe you’ve been talking about!! Love all of the fresh herbs!!!! Cute family pic too. ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Oh now thiiiiiiiis is my bag. I mean my salad. My rice salad. My grain salad. Never mind.

  7. Your family is SO cute!!!! And you are making me crave summer :). Another delicious combination. I wish this was in my fridge right now

  8. Congrats on yours son’s first communion.

    This salad looks great with the toasted pine nuts.

  9. Love the family pics – congrats to Sammy! And I’m always up for a wild rice salad. Love your “big bunch of herbs” in the ingredients…that makes the very best summer salad!!

  10. This is a great recipe for summer, perfect!

  11. Oh how I got excited when I saw wild rice and pine nuts!!! Looks and sounds delish – wish I had some now!!!

  12. Gorgeous salad, especially with all those yummy pine nuts piled up on top! Congrats to your son, and looking forward to summer too ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. This looks so incredible Aggie! I love the addition of the pine nuts!

  14. I want this for dinner tonight! I can always depend on coming to your site and finding something fresh and wonderful Aggie ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. This salad looks so perfect!

  16. Aw, your kids are adorable! Wild rice is one of my favorite grains, but I hardly ever cook with it. I need to remedy that!

  17. Soooo delicious looking! I am always looking for cool side dish ideas, so this is great! Congrats on your son’s First Holy Communion. I know what you mean about time flying…seems like my oldest just received his First Holy Communion but now he is wrapping up his freshman year of high school. It went by in the blink of an eye! Enjoy!

  18. Aggie, this looks delicious! What a perfect spring dish!

  19. I love the concept of this salad, Aggie! I’ve got a bit of wild rice, I think, and if not enough, I just bought some bulgur and barley at Trader Joes. I was envisioning tabouli though the spell checker isn’t really jiggy with that word for some reason. I’m jiggy with grain salads, though, especially ones so fresh and pretty as yours.

    Thanks!

  20. First off you have a gorgeous family! Secondly this is my kind of lunch!

  21. Congratulations to your son ๐Ÿ™‚ this dish is so perfect, I love it!

  22. What a stunning photograph! This looks like the perfect summer side dish or even main! Love all the fresh herbs – if only I could get those growing in my garden!

    • You are so sweet – thank you! It really is perfect for summer. Try growing them a few at a time, thyme and rosemary are the easiest to get you started. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a good spot for them to thrive. Mine used to get too much sun, now they are in a spot that is more like filtered sun.

  23. This sounds incredible Aggie. Love everything about it.

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