Wild rice dressing
Wild rice dressing is full of warm, nutty holiday flavors, and plenty of fresh herbs, and is perfect for a gluten-free and vegan-friendly side dish. (And it’s easy to prep ahead!)
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- 2 cups wild rice blend (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 (8 oz.) package button mushrooms, chopped (optional, see notes)
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
- ¾ cup dried cranberries or dried cherries, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cook the wild rice according to package directions, using broth as the cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the onion and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until starting to get tender.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 6-7 minutes, until the veggies are softened and the mushrooms have given off most of their liquid.
- Combine the rice, sautéed veggies and remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine.
- Transfer to a large casserole dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. (I usually use an 8x12 dish but anything close in size will be fine.)
- Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until set.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
This makes about 8-10 servings as a side dish or 4 servings as a main dish.
A wild rice blend (like this one or this one on Amazon) makes this super easy to prepare and it’s got a great mix of flavors and textures. However, you can also use 1 cup of wild rice and 1 cup of brown rice instead. Just follow the package instructions for each one. (I do recommend cooking them separately so everything is properly cooked and not too hard or too mushy.)
The mushrooms are optional. I’ve made this without them and it was still delicious. But I really love it with them because of the heartiness they add and the earthiness in flavor that goes so well with the wild rice.
You can prep this ahead by cooking the rice and veggies and stirring them together. Cool then store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Add the remaining ingredients and bake as directed, adding an extra 5-10 minutes as needed to get everything nice and hot.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated in the microwave.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 810mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g
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