Chicken Free Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad with Tomatoes, Olives & Cucumber
Bright, herby, and packed with Mediterranean flavor, this grain salad is the kind of dish that earns a permanent spot in your weekly rotation. Nutty brown rice forms the base, loaded up with juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, briny Kalamata olives, and a sharp hit of red onion that ties everything together. The lemon-oregano dressing with a whisper of cumin is simple to whisk up but tastes like it took real effort — tangy, fragrant, and just rich enough from the olive oil. Fresh parsley and optional mint keep the whole bowl feeling light and vibrant rather than heavy. Because every ingredient here is naturally plant-based and whole, there's zero guesswork about what's in your food — no hidden proteins, no label-reading stress. It also holds up beautifully in the fridge for up to three days, making it an ideal make-ahead lunch or a crowd-pleasing side for a dinner spread.
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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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