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A Salad That’s Not an Afterthought
A salad should never be boring. We have way too many options for mix-ins, toppings, and dressings for a salad to be left on the Thanksgiving table, except for the one relative who is on a diet. This salad is both hearty and full of flavor by taking notes from wild rice salads and merging them with a green lettuce salad.
For heartiness, wild rice is tossed with greens. Wild rice is not traditional white rice. Instead, wild rice has much more texture and flavor. It takes longer to cook, but it is worth the wait.
The vinaigrette uses orange juice just like wild rice salad does. The orange complements the rice and adds a bright citrus flavor. This salad hit all the right notes with rice for texture, citrus for brightness, dried cranberries for sweetness, feta for some cheese tang, and sugared pecans.
Wild Rice & Pear Salad Ingredients
- Orange zest has a more pungent flavor than the juice from inside the fruit. The essential oils in the zest offer a bright punch of flavor.
- Champagne vinegar has a lighter flavor than some other varieties. The vinegar ensures there is a correct amount of acidity in the vinaigrette.
- Garlic can be overwhelming, but it is tempered with the bright citrus in the salad dressing.
- Dijon mustard, when added to the dressing, works with the other ingredients in the dressing to emulsify the entire mixture.
- Chopped parsley is a classic component of many rice salads and offers a fresh, almost bitter flavor against the sweet pecans.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make This Wild Rice Salad
Step 1: Prepare the wild rice – In a kettle with water, add the butter and wild rice. Place the kettle over medium heat and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once boiling, place the lid on the kettle and boil it for 45-50 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Once done cooking, remove from the heat and allow the rice to cool.
Step 2: Prepare the praline pecans – To a warm skillet, add the butter and allow it to melt in the pan. Add in the pecans, brown sugar, and orange juice. While the brown sugar is melting, mix everything together so that the pecans are evenly covered in the mixture. After a few minutes, once the pecans are fully coated, remove the nuts from the heat and pour them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Before they cool completely, sprinkle the candied pecans with the salt. Set the nuts aside to cool.
Step 3: Prepare the salad dressing – In a bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, honey, orange juice, orange zest, champagne vinegar, salt, black pepper, shallot, and garlic. Whisk everything together to ensure that the honey, Dijon, and other spices are fully combined and homogenous. Once combined, while whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once all of the oil is fully incorporated, set the dressing aside while assembling the salad.
Step 4: Mix together the salad – Chop lettuce into bite-sized pieces and add to a large bowl. Add the cooled wild rice and mix it with the lettuce. Pour about ¾ of the dressing on the lettuce and wild rice, reserving ¼ of the dressing to add at the end. Slice or dice the pears, add some to the salad, and mix them in. Pour the entire mixture onto the serving platter and top with the remaining rice, chopped parsley, chopped praline pecans, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and the remaining dressing. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Wild rice cooks longer than regular white rice because of the texture of the rice. But when used in this salad, it’s definitely a welcome addition. Plus, wild rice is healthier than traditional rice varieties. White or brown rice can be used in its place, but opt for wild rice if possible.
- When zesting any citrus, hold the fruit in your hand and use the Microplane in the opposite hand. This way, all of the zest will accumulate in the Microplane and will be easy to tap out into the dressing once fully zested.
- Rather than using a bowl and whisk to combine the salad dressing, the mixture can easily be shaken in a container, whether it’s a cup with a lid or a salad dressing container. Or, it can be made directly in a wooden serving bowl. Whatever works best for your salad-making process will lead to success with this dressing.
- The best time to taste the dressing for the correct level of seasoning is right after it’s mixed, rather than once it’s on the salad. Take a piece of lettuce, dip it into the dressing, and eat it, concentrating on the level of salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning to your personal preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
I would not recommend using another rice. Wild rice is not as starchy as white or brown rice and does not stick together. White or brown rice will tend to clump and soak up too much vinaigrette.
Yes, you could swap walnuts for pecans or almonds. Pecans are more traditional with rice salads.
Yes, goat cheese would be a great substitution for this salad. The tangy, earthy flavors of goat cheese would pair well with the citrus.
This salad will be best served immediately after it is assembled. The vinaigrette will degrade the tender greens slowly, which means this does not work well as leftovers.
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Wild Rice & Pear Salad
Ingredients
For the rice
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup wild rice rinsed and drained
For the praline pecans
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the salad dressing
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp minced shallot
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup olive oil
For the salad
- 3 heads romaine lettuce chopped
- 2 ripe pears
- ¾ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the rice: In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, and rinsed rice. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the rice until it is tender with all of the water absorbed, 45-50 minutes. Once cooked, remove the lid and set the rice aside to cool.2 ¼ cups water, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 cup wild rice
- Prepare the pecans: In a small nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the pecans, brown sugar, and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until the sugar caramelizes and coats the pecans, 5-8 minutes. Once the pecans are coated, remove them from the heat and spread them out on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and allow them to cool.2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 cup pecans, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 tbsp fresh orange juice, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl or dressing shaker, combine the Dijon mustard, honey, orange juice, orange zest, champagne vinegar, salt, black pepper, shallot, and garlic. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking and drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified.2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, ¼ cup fresh orange juice, 2 tsp orange zest, 2 tbsp champagne vinegar, ¾ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp minced shallot, 1 clove garlic, ½ cup olive oil
- Prepare the salad: On a large platter or bowl, toss the chopped lettuce, half of the sliced pears, chopped parsley, and the prepared rice. Add the dressing to taste and toss everything together. Arrange the remaining pears, dried cranberries, and feta on top of the salad and serve.3 heads romaine lettuce, 2 ripe pears, ¾ cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 cup dried cranberries, ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Made this for my mother in laws 85th birthday today. Everyone loved it. Very tasty!!
Favorite side at our family Thanksgiving meal. Everyone kept asking, who made this salad? They wanted the recipe! Making it again for a smaller group for Christmas. Love it!
Last week you made delicious turkey gravy. I would dearly like to see it again as I am in charge of making the gravy this Thanksgiving. I’ve already made your squash and apple casserole that got much praise. Thank you.