Tomatoes, Basil & Brown Rice

Tomatoes, Basil and Brown Rice

When I saw this recipe for tomatoes, basil and brown rice in the Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family I knew I wanted to try it. It’s the perfect salad to make during the summer, when tomatoes are at their flavorful best. If you are on the lookout for easy healthy recipes this fits the bill. With just a handful of ingredients you can make it in minutes, especially if you have leftover brown rice in the refrigerator.

Cooking up a large pot of beans, or brown rice, or lentils, or quinoa once or twice a week to have on hand in the fridge can be a real time saver at meal time. At the moment I have both a stash of cranberry beans and brown rice available.

With brown rice in the refrigerator and tomatoes and basil on the counter, I was able to whip up this wholesome brown rice salad in less than ten minutes.

To make this salad a day ahead, leave out the basil until you are ready to serve it, then stir it in at the last minute. (You may need to adjust the seasonings again too.)

If you are like me and find it difficult to cook rice, you may want to do what I did – invest in a Rice Cooker. It’s made my life so much simpler. Sticky and/or scorched rice are now a thing of the past. In the meantime, if you need a little extra brown rice cooking guidance, here is a great blog post from Pinch My Salt for How to Make Perfect Brown Rice on the stove.

Tomatoes, Basil & Brown Rice Recipe

The recipe calls for champagne or rice wine vinegar. Since I had neither I substituted red wine vinegar with good results. I also used honey instead of sugar.

1 cup brown rice
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup champagne or rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup packed basil leaves, chopped

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and add the rice and 1 teaspoon salt. Return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer rice to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour mixture over the rice. Add the chopped tomatoes and basil. Mix well and adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes. This salad is best served at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings