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Insalata di Riso is a classic Italian rice salad eaten during the summer months. It’s bursting with incredible flavour, addictively delicious and so easy to make. This salad is perfect for a light lunch, taking on picnics or sharing at barbecues!
Insalata di Riso is the taste of Italian summer. Along with ripe peaches and thirst- quenching wedges of watermelon this Italian rice salad is one of the favourite dishes to pack for a day at the beach or family lunch.
If you’ve never had it before I guarantee you’ll be thinking that ham and tuna is a bit of a weird combination but trust me it’s SO good and once you try it you’ll be hooked!
The salad can be made with either fresh chopped vegetables or pickled veggies (which I prefer). In Italy you can buy jars of pickled veg labelled ‘Gusto Riso’ which is specifically for this salad (see it pictured below). It usually contains pickled peppers, carrots, cauliflower, gherkins, olives and capers but you can choose whatever veg you like.
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips and variations. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below.
Ingredients
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
- Rice – use an Italian risotto rice such as Arborio or Carnaroli.
- Tuna – we recommend using tuna canned in olive oil.
- Pickled vegetables – in Italy you can get jarred pickled vegetables (a type of Giardiniera) called ‘Gusto Riso’ that’s specifically for this salad. You should be able to find this in Italian food stores but you can use any type of pickled veggies you like or use fresh veggies instead.
- Caciocavallo cheese – this is a delicious firm cheese that’s commonly used in a classic Italian rice salad. If you can’t find this you could use Fontina, Provolone or even Gouda or Gruyere.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
Prep your rice – Cook the rice in plenty of salted boiling water (about 20 minutes) until cooked through. Add the frozen peas 30-60 seconds before the end of cooking then drain them and rinse them under cold water to cool.
Let the rice drain so it’s not extra wet while you prep all other ingredients.
Cook your eggs – I like to cook the eggs in a separate pot while the rice is cooking although you can prep these the day before.
Prep the other ingredients – drain your tuna and pickled vegetables and add them to a large mixing bowl. Cut the cheese and ham into cubes and add them too along with the olives.
Mix everything together – Finally, chop the egg (I like to cut one into cubes and save one for topping the salad). Add the cold rice and peas and mix everything until thoroughly combined.
Serve – you can serve your salad right away or store it in the fridge for 1-2 days. It tastes best served at room temperature.
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Make sure to cool your rice fast – the best way to cool your rice is under cold running water then let it drain while prepping all the other ingredients. Don’t let the rice sit in a bowl or sieve while hot as it won’t cool down fast enough.
- Cheese – don’t worry if you can’t find Caciocavallo cheese. I’ve made this with Fontina, Gruyere and Gouda and it’s really delicious. Provolone would also work really well as would Emmental. Cubed cheese really makes a difference in texture rather than sliced so try to get a block you can cut.
- Cut everything evenly – pretty much all the ingredients are cut into cubes (think pea-sized) so you get a taste of everything in one bite.
- Seasoning – Salt the water well before cooking the rice to give it flavour. I don’t find the rest of the salad needs more salt because of the briny vegetables, ham and cheese but taste it at the end and add more if needed.
Once made the rice salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Variations to try
- Jarred pickled vegetables – this usually contains bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, gherkins, olives and capers. You can use a mix of your favourites.
- Instead of pickled veg – you can use fresh bell peppers, fresh tomatoes or red onion.
- Dressing – there’s no dressing added to this salad because there are so many flavours going on already and it really doesn’t need it but you can mix in a simple vinaigrette if you like.
- Herbs – you could add fresh basil or parsley to the salad (don’t add dry herbs).
More Italian salads to try
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Step By Step Photos Above
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Insalata di Riso (Italian Rice Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) Carnaroli or Arborio rice
- 1 cup (290g/10oz) jar pickled vegetables, (such as Giardinera or Gusto Riso)
- 6 oz (160g) Tuna in olive oil, , drained
- 3/4 cup (3.5oz/100g) cubed ham
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1/3 cup(40g) olives
- 3.5 oz (100g) cheese, (about 3/4 cup)
- ¾ cup (100g) frozen peas
- Salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the rice and cook for about 20 minutes until cooked through. Add the frozen peas at the last minute to cook through for a few seconds then drain the rice and peas in a sieve.
- Run the rice and peas under cold water until completely cold then let it drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Drain the pickled vegetables, tuna and olives and add them to a large mixing bowl. If the pickled vegetables are not cut into small pieces cut them first.
- Cut the cheese and ham into cubes and add them to the vegetables and tuna.
- Roughly chop one of the eggs (I like to cut the other into quarters for topping the salad) and add that to the salad.
- Make sure the rice is well drained then add it to the other ingredients and toss until everything is thoroughly combined. Top the salad with the remaining egg and serve.
Notes
- Cheese – don’t worry if you can’t find Caciocavallo cheese. I’ve made this with Fontina, Gruyere and Gouda and it’s really delicious. Provolone would also work really well as would Emmental. Cubed cheese really makes a difference in texture rather than sliced so try to get a block you can cut.
- Cut everything evenly – pretty much all the ingredients are cut into cubes (think pea-sized) so you get a taste of everything in one bite.
- Seasoning – Salt the water well before cooking the rice to give it flavour. I don’t find the rest of the salad needs more salt because of the briny vegetables, ham and cheese but taste it at the end and add more if needed.
- Storage – once made the rice salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days. It’s best served at room temperature.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Heel erg lekker. Vol van smaak.
Charlotte, thank you for your lovely review (used google translate for help lol).