Thanksgiving Wild Rice Harvest Stuffing with Mushrooms and Pecans

… Perfect as a Side Dish as Well!

This gluten-free Wild Rice Harvest Stuffing recipe complements the flavors of turkey and all the trimmings at any Thanksgiving feast. Though easy enough to be made in less than thirty minutes, it will have your guests believing you slaved much longer to get the rich, deep flavors you’ll taste in every bite. It immediately became a favorite here at Daily Forage. What I love, is it can be made and then stuffed into the turkey as you would any bread stuffing, but it delivers equally delicious results when prepared and served as a side dish. With deeply browned mushrooms, seasoned sautéd carrots, and toasted pecans, there are tender, meaty bites mixed with the chew of earthy wild rice in each forkful. Thanksgiving Wild Rice Harvest Stuffing with Mushrooms and Pecans definitely has potential to upstage the turkey!

Prep and cooking time: about 25-30 minutes

Makes: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked wild rice – I used a blend of Texmati, white, brown, wild, and red rice

3 2/3 cups chicken broth*, divided – I prefer Swanson’s low sodium, fat-free broth

4 Tablespoons margarine or butter, divided – I used Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread

1 Tablespoon oil

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1/3 large red onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced or chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

8 ounces roasted, lightly salted pecan halves

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a medium pot with a lid, combine wild rice, 3 cups broth, and 1 tablespoon margarine. Uncovered, bring to a boil. Cover with a piece of foil, then the lid, and reduce heat to lowest simmer. Cook 15-17 minutes, or according to directions on your packaged rice. (If your wild rice requires longer cooking time, the recipe will still work fine as is, it will just take a bit longer to prepare.) When time is done, remove from heat but do not uncover. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and incorporate into dish as directed below.

While rice is cooking, in a large, deep pan (I prefer my cast iron Dutch oven pot for this),  heat oil over medium-low heat. Add carrots, red onion, and rosemary. Sauté about five minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent browning.

While the carrots are cooking, in a medium sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons margarine over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until softened and have a deep golden brown on each side. When done, transfer mushrooms into pot with carrots.

In the same pan the mushrooms were cooked in, still with some of the margarine and mushroom flavors, add 2/3 cup broth, wine, onion powder and 1extra tablespoon margarine. Bring to a simmer and reduce to about half quantity.

When rice is done, transfer all rice to carrot and mushroom pot. When the broth and wine liquids have reduced, pour over rice, carrots and mushroom mixture. Stir well to combine. Leave on low heat and stir often to prevent sticking on bottom of pan.

With a paper towel, wipe out the mushroom pan, add pecans and heat over medium heat just until warm and beginning to brown. Watch carefully not to burn. Add pecans to rice mixture and stir well to combine all ingredients. If necessary, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or, if preparing ahead, let cool – stirring often – then refrigerate in a sealed container.

For stuffing: If you’ll be stuffing the turkey with this rice, be sure to cool completely before placing it into the turkey, as putting hot stuffing into a cold turkey can cause harmful cooking results and may create a food-poisoning situation. Completely avoidable if stuffing (of any kind) is completely cool before placed in turkey cavity.

*Vegan recipe – substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Do you have a favorite food or dish that makes Thanksgiving complete? Do tell in the comments below. We’d love to share in your holiday feasting pleasures!

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