The 5-Ingredient Meal I’m Making on Repeat This Spring

The original inspiration for this recipe came from sheer desperation: I had a half hour between Zoom work calls, a bunch of asparagus that was beginning to go limp in the crisper drawer, and an otherwise empty fridge. Oh, and I was starving.

As soon as my morning calls ended, I fired up the oven and got the asparagus roasting, and then put some brown rice on the stove to simmer. This gave me about twenty minutes to answer Slack messages and emails before throwing the roasted asparagus and rice in a mixing bowl along with a can of tuna, a can of cannellini beans, and a half package of feta I found while scrummaging around. I was huffing and puffing when I arrived at my next meeting, but at least I had something to eat while I listened in! 

To my delight, what I thought was going to be merely a functional “get food in my belly” meal ended up being quite tasty. I have since made this recipe several more times. It’s quick, makes a few servings, and lasts for days in the fridge. I consider this my new go-to desperation meal for lunch and dinner.

The Secret to a Tasty Grain Salad

I attribute the success of this particular dish to the feta. Tossed with the other ingredients, it adds a little bit of creaminess and briny saltiness to each bite, giving the salad a flavor to rally around without the need for a dressing or extra ingredients. Don’t skip it, and go with good-quality feta if you can find it.

How to Make My Asparagus and Brown Rice Salad

This recipe makes about two servings if you’re eating a few scoops for lunch, or four servings if you want to serve it for dinner topped with chicken or salmon. 

To make it, you’ll need:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
• 1 (5-ounce) can tuna fish or salmon, drained
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. 

While the oven preheats, cook the brown rice according to package instructions (or follow ours here). For best flavor, I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to your rice while it cooks.

Spread the asparagus out on a sheet pan, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roll the asparagus against the sheet pan with your hand so that each spear is coated with oil and salt.

Roast the asparagus in the oven for 10 minutes. Shake the pan a few times so the spears roll to the other side, then roast for another 5 to 10 minutes until the asparagus is cooked through and you see crispy roasted bits. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once both the asparagus and rice are cooked, chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces and combine with the brown rice in a large bowl. If they are still very hot, toss gently until no longer steaming.

Add the drained tuna, drained cannellini beans, and crumbled feta. Toss to combine and taste. Add salt a few pinches at a time if you think it needs it (some kinds of feta are saltier than others). If the salad tastes a little bland, try adding a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of either cider vinegar or red wine vinegar. This salad keeps well for up to a week.

Serving Suggestions

You can really swap any of the ingredients in this recipe for whatever you have on hand:

• Instead of asparagus, try… Roasted cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, or another hearty roasting vegetable.
• Instead of brown rice, try… barley, farro, white rice, or bulgar wheat.
• Instead of tuna fish, try… canned salmon, leftover shredded chicken, or crumbled seitan or tofu (I’d roast the seitan or tofu with the asparagus)
• Instead of cannellini beans, try… chickpeas, navy beans, or any other favorite canned bean.
• Instead of feta, try… another creamy, crumbly cheese like goat cheese or queso fresco.

You can also serve the salad on top of mixed greens or mix a few handfuls of arugula into the salad. Chopped romaine, celery, or bell peppers would add some nice crunch.