Authentic Italian Cooking

Italian rice salads

I had learnt how to do a rice salad since I was a child. My mother was a great cook and she was used to do it all year round. I saw her to combine rice with many ingredients: fish, meat, pickled vegetables, bell peppers or mushrooms in oil, peas, beans, salami, cheese ... She prepared the best rice salad on Holiday Season to recycle all leftovers :)) Then in the 80s I tasted my first pasta salad. I have been experiencing since that time what is the best dish. I do not still know. Both taste fantastic! And you? what's your preferred dish?

Rice salad with hot red salsa and beans
Italian rice salad
Rice salad with 'Nduja and beans
Rice salad with fish
Seafood rice salad
Classic rice salad
Rice salad with shrimps, peas and bell peppers

Mini guide to the rice salad

Rice is the main ingredient. Choose it well and cook al dente stage because every overcooked dish of this kind is very uninviting.
Then add a few ingredients if you make it for your family menu not to increase its calories too much ;)
On the contrary add a lot of ingredients if you prepare it for a special occasion. The more you add, the better it is.
Remember to plan two versions for your parties. An alternative could be a dish of cold rice and a dish of pasta salad. One should be vegetarian because the number of people with this lifestyle is increasing.

Let's begin with calories ...

Rice salad calories

Have you ever thought how many calories are in a rice salad serving? It depends on many things: number and quality of ingredients, doses per serving, dressing ... Read more on the post ;))

Here are my recipes listed according to their ingredients ...

Hot red salsa and beans

It's a spicy recipe made with rubra sauce and beans. A few ingredients for a low-calorie rice dish.

Chick peas and tuna in oil

It's the favorite recipe of many people. It's an easy-and-quick to do recipe if made with canned chick peas. On the contrary, total time you need is much more but its taste is better.

'nduja and beans

This cold dish is a recipe of mine. It is made with a typical Calabrian salami called 'Ndujia that is a so soft salami that can be spread on bread. I thought it may be delicious combined with rice and legumes. I wasn't wrong ;))

All Italian

Its main ingredients? salami, eggs, cheese, tuna and vegetables in oil. Tasty enough to be served in your special occasion menus.

Traditional

Cold rice made with tuna, peas, quail eggs and vegetables in oil. A dish rich in ingredients that everybody likes very much.

Shellfish, fish and crustaceans

As the name says this cold dish is dedicated to lovers of seafood. Its main ingredients are octopus, squid, shrimp, surimi, and clams. Very good!

Sea asparagus

This rice salad is really special. First of all for its ingredients different from usual. Who of you has the habit to use sea asparagus? If you want to impress your guests choose this recipe ;)

Delicate

A few ingredients for this rice salad creamy but appetizing: mayonnaise, boiled eggs, cotto ham and sweet and sour peppers. Really delicious!

Classic

Cotto ham, Emmental, boiled eggs, olives, mushrooms and grilled vegetables in olive oil, peas, and the usual sweet and sour bell peppers. Rich and well balanced. Excellent cold dish for your special occasions.

Rice salad with shrimps, peas and bell peppers

This is a simple-to-do cold course, ideal for a meal, buffet-style all year round or for your get-togethers in summer. Recipe to make in advance.