Creamy Ricotta Rice Salad

Ingredients

• 300 g Long grain rice (Rinse before cooking, can be substituted with brown rice or basmati)
• 0.5 Cucumber (Peel, deseed and dice)
• 10 Cherry tomatoes (Wash and halve)
• 10 Sun‑dried tomatoes in oil (Drain and dice)
• 15 Pitted Italian olives (Slice if needed)
• 10 Pickles (Slice into thin rounds)
• 100 g Tuna in oil (Drain and crumble)
• 100 g Ricotta (Adds creaminess and freshness)
• 2 tablespoons Fresh chives (Finely chop)
• 2 tablespoons Extra‑virgin olive oil (For the dressing)
• 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
• to taste Salt
• to taste Ground black pepper
• a few Fresh basil leaves (Optional, for the finishing touch)

Instructions

1. Cooking the rice

   Rinse the rice under cold water. Place it in a saucepan with the amount of water indicated on the package, bring to a boil, cover and cook 10‑12 minutes. Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes, then spread on a tray to cool completely.

   Time: PT27M

   Temperature: boiling water

2. Preparing the cucumber

   Peel the half‑cucumber, remove the seeds, then dice into about 1 cm pieces.

   Time: PT5M

3. Cherry tomatoes

   Wash the cherry tomatoes and halve them.

   Time: PT2M

4. Sun‑dried tomatoes

   Drain the oil‑packed sun‑dried tomatoes, then dice them finely.

   Time: PT2M

5. Olives

   Slice the pitted olives into rounds or leave whole according to preference.

   Time: PT1M

6. Pickles

   Slice the pickles into thin rounds.

   Time: PT2M

7. Tuna

   Open the tuna can, drain the oil and crumble the tuna with a fork.

   Time: PT1M

8. Incorporating the ricotta

   Add the ricotta to the still‑warm rice and gently mix until the grains are lightly coated.

   Time: PT2M

9. Chives

   Rinse the chives, pat dry and finely chop.

   Time: PT2M

10. Dressing

    In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

    Time: PT2M

11. Assembling the salad

    In a large bowl, combine the ricotta rice, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sun‑dried tomatoes, olives, pickles, tuna and chives. Pour the dressing, toss gently and add a few fresh basil leaves.

    Time: PT3M

12. Finishing and serving

    Taste the salad, adjust salt/pepper if needed, then serve chilled or at room temperature.

    Time: PT2M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

350

Protein

15 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

12 g

Fiber

3 g