This Baked Wild Rice Casserole {Vegetarian} is a cozy, creamy dish packed with earthy mushrooms, tender kale, and rich gruyere cheese. Perfect as a hearty vegetarian entrée or a flavorful side, it’s a delicious way to highlight wild rice and fresh, simple ingredients.
Another wild rice recipe you’ll find on the blog is my wild rice salad with apples. It’s the perfect fall salad and sure to be a hit with your family.
What is wild rice?
Wild rice is an aquatic grass seed that grows naturally in lakes and rivers, primarily in the Great Lakes region of the United States and parts of Canada. Despite its name, it isn’t technically rice but shares a similar texture and cooking process.
Wild rice has a chewy texture, a nutty, earthy flavor, and a dark, slender appearance. It’s often used in soups, salads, casseroles, and pilafs and pairs well with hearty ingredients like mushrooms, nuts, and vegetables.
Ingredients
- Wild rice- I prefer uncooked wild rice not quick-cooking or parboiled wild rice.
- Olive oil- extra virgin
- Onions- yellow or white will work best in this recipe.
- Mushrooms- I used white button mushrooms, but many other types will work well in this recipe as well.
- Minced garlic
- Flour- for making a roux to thicken the casserole.
- Vegetable broth
- Heavy cream- This combined with the cream will give the casserole the delicious creamy texture.
- Thyme- I like to use fresh, but dried will work as well.
- Parmesan and Gruyere- parmesan for the sharp flavor and gruyere for its creamy melting texture.
- Salt and pepper- to taste
- Kale- optional, but it so good in this casserole.
Making The Recipe
- Start by cooking your rice. The baking time is insufficient, so you must cook it first. This is done by bringing your stock or water to a boil and then adding the wild rice. Boil until it is tender.
- Once it is done, you can start with the rest of the dish.
- Heat your olive oil over medium heat. Once it is ready to go, add in your chopped onions. Sauté these for a minute or 2.
- Next, add in your mushroom and mince garlic. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes.
- This dish is thickened in 2 ways. The first is with flour. So, sprinkle it on top of the sautéed veggies. Cook this for several minutes over medium. This step is really important as you need to cook out the flour taste. It won't take too long, but probably at least 3 minutes.
- This is called a roux and is my preferred method for thickening most things. A roux is a method of combining oil and flour to create a thick paste, thick in turn will thicken your dish. It can also be made with sauteed veggies too. So, add it on top and cook.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, add in your stock and mix.
- Everything into the pot. The heavy cream, cooked wild rice, cheeses, thyme, and kale. The hardest part is over! If you are prepping the dish, wrap in saran wrap and into the fridge.
- Add a little more cheese on top and move it to the preheated oven.
- Bake until the cheese is golden brown and it is heated through.
More Side Dish Options
If you need another side dish option, this Autumn Kale Salad with butternut is a great option. Another, lighter dish to pair it with is this fall fruit salad. A quick one would be this simple pea and potato side dish! If you want another carb side dish with this one, how about these twice-baked potatoes with broccoli and cheddar? Another favorite is this Acorn Squash in a Slow Cooker.
If you need some great drinks to go with this meal or your next holiday gathering, I have a few mocktail ideas. A Pomegranate Vanilla Fizz is one of my favorites! Or a virgin sangria is also a really good idea!
Baked Wild Rice Casserole {Vegetarian}
Ingredients
- 2 ½-3 cups cooked wild rice
- ¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons divided
- ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¾ cup vegetable stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 3 cups roughly chopped kale
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 ½ cups grate gruyere Divide this. 1 cup is used mixed in, the other ½ cup is for topping.
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Make sure to have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. It is also important to read through the instructions carefully before beginning. Instructions for prepping the dish in advance are at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large saucepan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- To the onions and olive oil add in your mushrooms and garlic. Allow them to cook, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms have softened.
- Add in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle your flour over the top. Continue to mix, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.
- Pour in your stock and mix well.
- Your remaining ingredients are next. Remember to add only 1 cup of gruyere cheese. Mix them well and taste. Taste and djust salt and pepper.
- Pour the casserole mix into your baking dish. Top with the remaining ½ cup grated gruyere.
- Place in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. The dish is cooked all the way through, it just needs to be heated together.
- Once the cheese is melted and the dish is bubbly, it is ready to go!!
- Now, if you want to prep this dish in advance, it is very simple. Make the dish as above. When you finish assembling the dish, pour it into your baking dish. At this point, wrap with saran wrap or foil and place in the fridge. The dish can be made up to 2 days in advance. On the day of baking, preheat the oven. Add the casserole and bake until the cheese is melted and the dish is bubbly all the way through.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!