A quick Cuban-inspired rice salad tossed with fresh herbs and a garlicky yogurt dressing, built for using up leftover rice.
This salad borrows the bright herb-and-citrus finish common in Cuban cooking - cilantro, lime, garlic - and applies it to a cold rice salad, a practical way to use up leftover white rice from another meal. A garlicky yogurt dressing stands in for a heavier mayonnaise-based dressing, keeping things light while still creamy enough to coat every grain. The trick to a good grain salad is texture contrast: the rice should be cold and separate, not clumped, and the vegetables should stay crisp rather than wilted, which means adding the dressing and delicate herbs only right before serving.
Serves 4
Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and salt in a small bowl until smooth.
Break up cold rice with a fork so the grains separate; if it's very clumped, run it briefly under a fork or your fingers to loosen.
In a large bowl, toss the rice with cucumber, tomato and red onion.
Pour the yogurt dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Fold in cilantro and mint right before serving.
Add the herbs at the very end - tossed in early, they wilt and turn the salad an unappetizing dull green.
Use rice that's been chilled for at least an hour; warm rice will make the yogurt dressing thin and watery.
Seed the tomato before dicing so the salad doesn't turn soupy as it sits.
If serving later, keep the dressing separate and toss just before eating to keep the salad from getting mushy.
Add cooked shredded chicken or shrimp for a more filling main-dish salad.
Swap yogurt for a garlic-lime mojo dressing for a more traditionally Cuban flavor profile.
Use black beans in place of some of the rice for extra protein and fiber.
Refrigerate undressed components separately up to 3 days; once dressed, the salad is best eaten within a few hours as the rice absorbs the dressing and softens.
Cold rice salads are a practical, modern kitchen solution for using leftover rice, and this version leans on Cuban cooking's classic combination of garlic, lime and fresh herbs rather than any single named traditional dish.
Yes - brown rice works well and adds a nuttier flavor, though it will need a slightly longer chill time to firm up before mixing with the dressing.
The tomato or cucumber likely released too much liquid. Seed both vegetables well and consider salting and draining the cucumber for 10 minutes before adding it.
Yes - swap the yogurt for a plant-based yogurt or use a simple olive oil and lime vinaigrette instead.
Per serving (250g / 8.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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