Bursting with fresh flavours and wholesome goodness, this vibrant rice salad brings together nutty brown rice, protein-rich quinoa, tender asparagus and baby marrows, bright spring herbs, and crisp bacon croutons, all drizzled with a creamy lemon-garlic mayo. With a prep time of around 20 minutes and a cook time of 35 minutes, it’s the perfect light lunch or dinner—and oh-so-satisfying.
Baby marrow & asparagus rice salad
Ingredients
- For the salad
- 4 slices whole wheat bread
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
- 4 slices bacon
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup brown rice
- 170 g asparagus, trimmed, chopped coarsely, tips reserved
- 5 baby marrow, coarsely chopped
- 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 100 g broad beans
- 150 g baby rocket
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
- For the mayonnaise dressing
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- ¼ cup low-fat yoghurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a baking tray.
Place bacon on an oven rack and cook for 6-10 minutes until crispy, tuning half way. Remove and place on paper towel to absorb extra oil. When cool, tear into pieces.
Chop bread into 1cm pieces, top with parmesan. Bake for 6 minutes until golden. Remove and cool.
For the mayonnaise, add ingredients to a bowl and whisk together, season well.
Cook quinoa and rice in separate pots of boiling water until tender, rinse and drain both. Fluff each with a fork.
Add eggs to a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Immediately run under cold water to stop further cooking. Peel and cut in half.
Place chopped asparagus and baby marrow in a bowl along with the rice, quinoa, asparagus tips, onion, beans, rocket and herbs. Gently toss with oil and lemon rind.
To serve, sprinkle croutons and torn bacon over salad; top with boiled eggs and a drizzle of mayonnaise.
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Also See: Brown rice and barley salad
Feature image: Aremedia
