Low Sugar Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad with Tomatoes, Olives & Cucumber
Bright, herby, and packed with Mediterranean flavor, this grain salad is the kind of dish that makes healthy eating feel genuinely exciting rather than like a compromise. Every component — nutty brown rice, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, briny Kalamata olives, and fresh parsley — brings real flavor to the bowl without a single gram of added sugar anywhere in sight. The dressing is a simple whisk of extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, oregano, and cumin, which means you get bold, tangy depth from whole ingredients rather than from sweetened bottled dressings that can sneak sugar in where you least expect it. Letting the rice cool before tossing everything together is a small but important step — it keeps the vegetables crisp and helps the dressing coat each grain evenly. This salad holds up beautifully in the fridge for up to three days, making it an ideal meal-prep option for lunches or a quick weeknight side. Whether you serve it right away or pull it out of the fridge the next day, the flavors only get better as everything melds together.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the rice
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the salad
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 english cucumber, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the brown rice, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40–45 minutes.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then spread it out in a large mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
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