The GFCF Recipe Experience - Wild Rice Casserole

Back from a near three week layoff - not that I haven't been cooking, I've just had some other things on my mind.



With Thanksgiving just around the corner though, I wanted to share this side dish I made recently that actually would serve as a great stuffing or side dish for Thanksgiving. I honestly had never prepared wild rice before, but it seemed like a perfect side dish to go with the slow roasted chicken I was cooking. The question was, how to prepare it? This casserole did the trick.



I used celery and carrots in this recipe because my kids like to eat those vegetables. The reality is that any vegetable would do. Mushrooms would also go extremely well in this dish - many of the wild rice recipes I saw online incorporated mushrooms in some way.



And the best thing is that this is one of those dishes that tastes even better as a leftover. A perfect accompaniment for the leftover turkey all next weekend!









WILD RICE CASSEROLE



Ingredients



1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice, rinsed

4 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup CF butter

4 slices bacon, diced

1 small to medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced or shredded

1 cup GFCF chicken stock

4 oz. Follow Your Heart CF Mozzarella Cheese, shredded





Place the rice, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. Uncover and fluff with a fork, then simmer an additional 5 minutes. Pour the rice into a colander to remove any excess liquid, then transfer the rice to a large bowl.



While the rice is cooking, fry the bacon until crisp, then drain on paper towels. Remove 2/3 of the bacon fat from the pan and add the butter. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots until tender. Add to the rice mixture. Add half the cheese and the chicken stock and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.



Preheat oven to 350°. Place the rice mixture in a greased 8" x 8" baking dish or 2-qt. casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 - 30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and broil about 5 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted.



NOTE: This recipe works really well doubled, which is what is depicted in the picture.