Lemony Brown Rice, Broccoli and Feta Salad

This Lemony Brown Rice, Broccoli and Feta Salad comes together so easily. Brown rice, broccoli and chickpeas hit all the marks with aa fresh, green hit of broccoli and the delightful bite of red onion. Only 5 ingredients and a simple dressing.

This Lemony Brown Rice, Broccoli and Feta Salad is here to brighten your day☀️

Salads with brown rice and other wholesome ingredients are perfect for lunches at home these days, in between all the Zoom meetings and desk-coffees☕

Usually I'll make 6 lunches on a Sunday and then Jason and I are good to go for a few days.

One of my favourite lunch to make these days is chicken in the Instant Pot (here's a great way to make it from Amy and Jacky) and some sort of veggie+carb mix.

This salad with brown rice, broccoli and chickpeas hits all the marks with the fresh, green hit of broccoli and the delightful bite of red onion.

This is a great salad to make when you have leftover rice from supper too.

And if you have even more leftover rice?

Try this Moroccan-Spiced Black Bean Salad with Brown Rice.

Here's what you'll need to make this Lemony Brown Rice, Broccoli and Feta Salad:

• Cooked brown rice (I like this brand of brown basmati rice)
• Broccoli
• 1 can of chickpeas
• Purple onion
• Feta cheese
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• White wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

See recipe card below for quantities and instructions.

Storage

This broccoli and rice salad keeps well for up to 3 days in the fridge.

There's not risk of things getting soggy as you've got ingredients that can hold their own for a few days - the meaty chickpeas, the firm broccoli and the crunchy red onion.

Everything stays firm and delicious.

This salad does not freeze well so I don't recommend freezing it.

Made Ahead Tips

If you want to serve this salad as part of a meal or at a picnic, BBQ or other get together, the day before serving you can do a few things to make it easier the day of.

Prep the veggies

Wash and chop the broccoli and dice the red onion the day before.

You can also open the can of chickpeas and rinse and drain them.

Break up the feta

Using your hands or a couple forks, break up the feta cheese so it's nice and crumbly, getting rid of any large chunks.

Make the rice

The day before is a perfect time to make the rice too.

Either make in according to the package instructions on the stovetop or make it in the Instant Pot.

I usually make my rice in the Instant Pot using 3 cups of broth (or water) to every 2 cups of rice.

I select the "Rice" button and once it's done, let it stay on the "Keep Warm" setting for about 10 minutes, then shut the Instant Pot and let it naturally release the pressure.

Make the dressing

You can also whisk up the super simple dressing the day before as well.

Keep it in the fridge in a container with a lid that fits tight. Right before you need to use it the next day, whisk it up one more time.

Top Tips

Meal prep tip

If you're making the salad for meal prep for the week ahead, say for lunches, include a lemon wedge into the meal prep container along with the salad.

When you're ready to dig in, squeeze some of that fresh lemon juice on there to brighten things up even more!

Making to serve all at once tip

If you're making this salad to serve as part of a meal or at a picnic, BBQ or other get together, I recommend making it a day in advance.

Make up the whole salad as per the recipe and add the dressing over top.

Keep in a large container with a lid that seals tightly shut.

As the rice, broccoli, feta and lemon dressing sit together in the fridge, the flavours will continue to improve.

When you're ready for it the next day, give it a stir and an extra squirt of lemon juice just before serving.

I hope you love it!

Going gluten-free isn't always easy (or ok, even fun) but my friend here at Eats by April, it's always delicious😋

~April

If you like this recipe, you may also want to check out these gluten-free recipes too:

• Easy Quinoa Salad with Feta
• Instant Pot Sweet and Spicy Chicken Thighs
• Easy Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Soup (Instant Pot)
• Easy Spiced Chicken Salad with Brown Rice
• Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

~April