Pork Free Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad with Tomatoes, Olives & Cucumber
This grain salad is a bright, satisfying bowl packed with juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, briny Kalamata olives, and fresh herbs — all tossed with a lemony oregano-cumin dressing that ties everything together beautifully. It's the kind of dish that tastes even better after a few hours in the fridge, making it a brilliant option for meal prep or a make-ahead lunch. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of pork and pork-derived products, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress involved — just wholesome, straightforward cooking. The nutty depth of long-grain brown rice gives the salad real staying power, keeping you full in a way that lighter grain bases simply don't. A generous squeeze of fresh lemon and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil do the heavy lifting on flavor, proving you don't need anything complicated to make something genuinely delicious. Whether you serve it straight from the bowl or pull it out of the fridge the next day, this is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your weeknight rotation.
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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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