This recipe is straight-up delicious and comes (almost) straight-up from one of our favourite home cooking geniuses, Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen. This particular one can’t be found on her website, but in her first cookbook, which is so dirty and dog eared that I might need to order a new copy. AKA it’s so, so awesome. Deb’s second cookbook, which Dara and I have been eagerly anticipating for years is due to be released next week. Which reminds me… *visiting Amazon now.
Dara tested this recipe with black rice, a variety of whole grain asian rice, because she wasn’t able to find wild. My supermarket carries wild so I decided to give it a go because I’m a wild rice virgin! PS. Wild rice is not in the same family as other rice varieties, it’s actually a grass. And best part? It’s grown in Canada!
My only memories of wild rice are in teeny tiny amounts in 80s restaurant rice pilaf and in this one variety of Lean Cuisine frozen dinner my mom used to buy as a kid. I remember it also contained about 4 stringy snap peas, some chicken and a ‘gourmet’ white wine sauce. And I liked it! So sue me!
This recipe is chock-full of wild rice and it is soooo deliciously satisfying. It’s starchy and chewy and full of nutty and subtly grassy flavour. So much more interesting than plan old white. Even if you’re not keen on prepping this particular recipe, get yourself some wild rice to try.
You’ll be supporting Canadian producers and your taste buds, all at once.
Erin
Cheesy Wild Rice Casserole
Serves | 6 |
Prep time | 40 minutes |
Cook time | 30 minutes |
Total time | 1 hours, 10 minutes |
From book | Lightly Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - Wild Rice Gratin |
Ingredients
- 5 cups cooked wild rice (about 1 2/3 cup uncooked - or whole grain rice of choice)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
- 2 Medium onions (sliced)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 225g cremini or button mushrooms (sliced)
- 225g kale leaves (stemmed and thinly sliced - about 4 cups)
- 2 cups grated Swiss cheese (about 200g)
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1. | Preheat oven to 375 |
2. | Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sauté onions until they begin to brown, stirring occasionally (about 4-5 minutes) and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking while stirring occasionally for 20 minutes until they begin to turn a deep, caramel colour. If the onions begin sticking to the pan, add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen them. |
3. | Add remaining oil to the pan of onions, turn up the heat to medium-high and add mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are cooked through and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 8-10 minutes. Add kale and sauté for an additional 3 minutes until wilted. |
4. | In a large bowl, combine rice, onion mixture and 1 cup of Swiss cheese. Add remaining salt and season with pepper to taste. Transfer to an oiled 2 quart baking dish. |
5. | Top with remaining cheese. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and breadcrumbs. Top casserole with buttery crumbs. Bake for 25-30 until cheese and breadcrumbs are bubbly and brown. |
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