Lemon Garlic Cabbage Green Bean Wild Rice Salad with onion, garlic, cashews, and balsamic vinaigrette! This warm rice salad makes the perfect side dish to any meal!
My original inspiration in making this wild rice salad recipe was to come up with a fun and unique side dish for Thanksgiving. I do feel this tasty veggie-packed recipe fills that niche, and it also makes an amazing side dish regardless of the time of year.
Packed with fresh green beans, cabbage, white beans, sauteed onion, garlic, cashews, whole grain wild rice, and tossed together in a lemon balsamic dressing, this simple recipe is bursting with an array of savory flavors and textures.
It fills all the gaps in the sense that it is packed with fresh veggies, yet also feels hearty and filling due to the rice and beans. Everything comes together in a magical whirlwind of treasured comfort food that makes you feel just right.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this easy wild rice salad recipe!
Wild Rice Salad Ingredients:
Wild Rice: The star of the show, we need wild rice. You can find it next to the brown rice and the white rice in the grocery store.
Onion and Garlic: Fresh yellow onion and garlic provide a big backdrop of flavor to make this healthy side dish taste so cozy.
Green Cabbage: Bringing soft texture and a subtle sweet flavor, green cabbage is a marvelous addition, as it cooks down.
Green Beans: Fresh green beans add fresh flavor and snappy texture.
White Beans: Little bites of squishy bliss are brought to us by canned white beans. Any kind of bean works here.
Raw Cashews: Bringing a nutty flavor and crunchy texture, cashews are here for pure fun. Swap them out for chopped pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds if you prefer.
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the veggies in order to soften them up.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the dish to taste with salt and pepper. If it tastes at all bland, continue adding salt a little at a time until the lemon garlic flavors pop.
Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients:
Olive Oil or Avocado Oil: The base of every great dressing begins with the fat. I love using olive oil or avocado oil.
Fresh Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: Brings bright zesty flavor to the side dish to liven up the heartiness.
Balsamic Vinegar: Provides tangy, deep rich flavor.
Pure Maple Syrup: A little sweetness complements the savory flavors. Skip it if you cook without sugar.
Fresh Garlic: A zing of fresh garlic brings a subtle bite for bolder flavor.
Ways to Customize:
- Add 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese for a rich depth of flavor.
- Use your favorite hearty vegetables! Broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, green onions, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash are all great options.
- Swap out the wild rice for brown rice or lentils. Just note the cooking time on the individual packages, as the cooking time varies depending on the grain or legume.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make this tasty wild rice salad!
How to Make Wild Rice Salad:
Cook the wild rice according to the package instructions. For me, this involves thoroughly rinsing the rice in a fine mesh strainer, bringing it to a boil on the stove top with 1 ¾ cups of water, then simmering for 45 minutes. For extra flavor, I like cooking the wild rice in chicken broth instead of water.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large thick bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven or a 12-inch skillet with a wide lip.
Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent and beginning to turn slightly golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add in the sliced cabbage and fresh garlic and stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the chopped green beans.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted and the green beans have reached your desired doneness, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the drained white beans.
Add all of the ingredients for the salad dressing to a small bowl and mix until combined.
When the rice has finished cooking, transfer it to the pot with the veggies along with the dressing and mix well until everything is combined. Stir in the raw cashews. Taste the salad for flavor and season it with sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
Serve warm or room temperature in a large bowl as a side dish alongside your choice of main dish, or enjoy it as a light meal. I love adding in rotisserie chicken for a complete meal.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The next time you’re looking to change up your side dish routine, make this vegetable packed wild rice sauté! It is easy to customize and even easier to serve alongside any main entree.
Enjoy it with guests on your holiday table, or meal prep it for the busy workweek on regular rotation to ensure you’re getting your veggies, complex carbs, and fiber at every meal.
Looking for more healthy side dishes to whet your whistle? Also try out some of these gems.
More Healthy Side Dishes:
- Orange Balsamic Maple Roasted Vegetables
- Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Roasted Winter Vegetable Quinoa Salad
- Butternut Squash Lentil Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
Your newest side dish obsession!
Wild Rice Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 small head green cabbage thinly sliced (4-6 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups fresh green beans chopped
- 1 (15-oz.) can white beans, drained
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- ¾ cup raw cashews
Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- Zest of 1 lemon ½ tsp to 1 tsp
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Cook the wild rice according to the package instructions. For me, this involves thoroughly rinsing the rice in a fine mesh strainer, bringing it to a boil on the stove top with 1 ¾ cups of water, then simmering for 45 minutes. For extra flavor, I like cooking the wild rice in chicken broth instead of water. While the rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large thick bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven or a 12-inch skillet with a wide lip.
- Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent and beginning to turn slightly golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add in the sliced cabbage and fresh garlic and stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the chopped green beans. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted and the green beans have reached your desired doneness, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the drained white beans.
- Add all of the ingredients for the salad dressing to a small bowl and mix until combined.
- When the rice has finished cooking, transfer it to the pot with the veggies along with the dressing and mix well until everything is combined. Stir in the raw cashews. Taste the salad for flavor and season it with sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
- Serve warm or room temperature in a large bowl as a side dish alongside your choice of main dish, or enjoy it as a light meal. I love adding in rotisserie chicken for a complete meal.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions:
This veggie-packed wild rice salad serves 6 to 8 individuals comfortably, assuming there is a main entree involved. If you’re using the recipe as a main dish, it will feed about 4 people.
Yes! You can make it up to 4 days before you intend to eat it. For optimal freshness, be sure to enjoy the whole batch within that four-day window. You can also prepare the wild rice and the dressing ahead of time and cook the vegetables at the time that you intend to serve the dish.
Both ways work! I prefer serving it warm, because to me it feels like amazing comfort food when warm; however, the salad tastes great when served cold as well. Room temperature works great too.
