Rice Salad with Pesto and Citrus
- Gluten Free
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Prep time: 20 min
- Cook time: 15 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
- Note + resting time in the fridge (at least 30 min.)
PRESENTATION
Imagine sinking your fork into a colorful mix of crunchy yellow zucchini, juicy cherry tomatoes, savory olives, tender tuna, and fresh mozzarella balls, all wrapped in a citrusy pesto that smells like sunshine and lightness.... it's the rice salad with pesto and citrus, the dish that cannot be missing from your summer table!
This tasty twist on the classic rice salad is the perfect meeting of taste and creativity, thanks to the pesto enriched with orange and lemon zest, which enhances every ingredient with simplicity. With a few simple steps and seasonal ingredients, you'll bring a light and appetizing one-dish meal to the table! Ideal to enjoy cold for an office lunch, a picnic, or a buffet, the rice salad with pesto and citrus will win everyone over at the first taste.
Discover also these rice salad recipes:
- Rice Salad with Parsley Pesto and Seafood
- Rice Salad with Mango and Pineapple
- Rice Salad with Citrus, Spinach, and Shrimp
- Greek Rice Salad
INGREDIENTS
- For the Pesto and Citrus
- Basil 1.67 cups (35 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 7 tbsp (100 g)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.1 oz (30 g) - (to grate)
- Pine nuts 1 ½ tbsp (15 g)
- Orange peel 1
- Lemon peel 1
- Fine salt to taste
- For Dressing
- Cherry tomatoes 1 ½ cup (200 g)
- Yellow zucchini (summer squash) 1 ½ cup (200 g)
- Tuna in oil 6.3 oz (180 g) - fillets (drained weight)
- Mozzarelline ciliegine cheese 5.3 oz (150 g)
- Black olives 1.8 oz (50 g) - from Sardinia, pitted
How to prepare Rice Salad with Pesto and Citrus
To prepare the rice salad with pesto and citrus, start with the pesto: in the blender jar, add the basil leaves that you have washed and gently dried 1, then add the oil 2 and grated cheese 3.
Also add the pine nuts 4 and the grated zest of the lemon 5 and orange 6.
Blend in short bursts until you get a creamy mixture 7. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and set aside. Move on to the dressing: trim the yellow zucchini 8 and cut them into 1/2-inch (approximately 1.27 cm) cubes 9.
Add the zucchini to the bowl with the pesto 10, along with the cherry tomatoes cut into quarters 11 and the pitted olives 12.
Also add the slightly crumbled tuna fillets 13 and the cherry-sized mozzarella balls 14. Mix and let rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour 15. Meanwhile, cook the rice in salted boiling water.
Drain the rice al dente and let it cool, then transfer it to a large bowl 16. Add the now well-chilled dressing 17 and mix well to combine everything. Serve your rice salad with pesto and citrus immediately or let it chill in the refrigerator for another half hour 18!