RECIPE: Lauren’s Wild Rice Dressing

Ok- I’m using the term “dressing” for my Wild Rice Dressing pretty loosely and I realize it’s pretty bold to put your own name in the title of a recipe. It was tough to name this dish because it has so many uses!

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I usually first make this dish in the evening for a side dish or the base of a veggie bowl. It’s so delicious as a side dish that I think it would work wonderfully (and possibly become the star of) your Thanksgiving table! After I’ve had the dressing for dinner, I generally use the leftovers for lunches and breakfast. For a few examples, I have stuffed the dressing in a tortilla with ground turkey for a wild rice burrito, and I have added egg and breadcrumbs, mashed it a bit, and made wild rice burgers.

The recipes I am sharing with you today are for this magic wild rice dressing and my favorite way to use it in leftovers – a breakfast hash. And, in case you didn’t know (I hope you do if you’re Minnesotan), the best part about this dish is that wild rice is an absolutely wonderful food for runners! I love this dish because I get so many nutrients & get to eat wild rice, which is comfort food for the Minnesotan soul, but without the cream that goes into most wild rice dishes. (I’m looking at you, chicken wild rice hotdish!)

Related: Nutrition for Runners: 4 Simple Reminders

So, without further ado, here is the recipe for my wild rice dressing, followed by how to use it in a breakfast hash! Enjoy!

Lauren’s Wild Rice Dressing

(Serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small to medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2 – 1-inch pieces
8 oz portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 oz fresh spinach
1 tbsp fresh sage
1 tbsp fresh thyme
¼ cup nuts of your choice (walnuts are great), chopped

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken or vegetable stock, uncooked wild rice, and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 40-45 minutes or until rice is done. There may be extra liquid in the saucepan when the rice is fully cooked (it really seems to change depending on where I buy my wild rice). If this is the case, simply strain the extra liquid out.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread butternut squash on a single layer on a sheet pan and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, toss the squash in the pan, then kick the oven up to 400 degrees and roast for another 20-25 minutes, or until your butternut squash is easily pierced with a fork and has a little caramelization.
3. In a high sided skillet, heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. After the butter has melted, add the chopped mushrooms and 1 tbsp fresh thyme, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are slightly browned.
4. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the minced shallot. Sauté for 4 minutes, then add the minced garlic. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

   

5. Add the spinach. Your pan will look overflowing with spinach as if you added way too much, but it cooks down a ton! Sauté the mixture, stirring frequently, until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Immediately take off the heat.
6. To assemble the dressing, add the cooked wild rice and roasted butternut squash to the mushroom spinach mixture. Mix in the fresh sage & chopped nuts, then taste and season more with salt and pepper. I usually add at least 1/2 tsp of salt at this point, but just add a little at a time until the taste is to your liking.

Alright! Now that you’ve enjoyed my wild rice dressing as a side dish, it’s time to use some leftovers! This next recipe is for Wild Rice Breakfast Hash, but if I’m being honest, I usually eat this for lunch instead of breakfast. So satisfying in the middle of the day!

Wild Rice Breakfast Hash

(Serves 1, simply multiply ingredients to make for more)

Ingredients:

1-2 cups leftover Lauren’s Wild Rice Dressing
2 slices bacon
1 egg

Directions:

1. Chop the bacon into about ½ inch pieces while it is still raw. In a high-sided skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon pieces until your desired doneness.
2. Add the leftover wild rice dressing (it should be cold still). Sprinkle with salt and pepper (leftovers always seem to need more seasoning), then saute it with the bacon & the bacon grease that is in the pan for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Move mixture to one side of the pan, and use the other side to crack an egg into and fry the egg (I would highly recommend a runny yolk for this recipe). Don’t forget to season the egg with salt and pepper!
4. To serve: Place the wild rice/bacon mixture a plate and top with the fried egg. Top with some cheese if desired!

Notes:

Turkey sausage would be an easy and awesome substitution for bacon. You could also leave out the meat altogether, but you will need to add butter or olive oil to the pan to replace the bacon grease.

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