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While I tend toward one-pan meals all year long, this colder weather has definitely put hotdish on my mind. When you’ve got a creamy carb topped with cheese and something crunchy, it almost doesn’t matter what else is happening in that pan. Some combination of hamburger, tater tots and canned “cream of” soup are canon.
Here, though, fiber- and protein-rich wild rice and winter squash pack a prebiotic punch to nourish your gut microbiome without sacrificing the crunchy and creamy/melty stuff you expect in a casserole.
Wild rice (Zizania aquatica) is native to the Midwest, but we have a close relative here in the Northwest, rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides). Though our species isn’t really fit for human consumption, both plants provide browse for waterfowl and other aquatic critters so it’s commonly used in wetland restoration projects. In fact, wild rice was first planted in the Northwest by duck hunters around a century ago.
More importantly, the name “rice cutgrass” is an apt warning: As anyone who spends time in wetlands can attest, those scabrous leaves are like serrated knives. Serves 4-6
Note: You can use canned cream of celery soup instead of making the sauce from scratch — just omit the butter, flour and cream.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 cup cubed winter squash
2 smoked sausage links (~6-8 ounces), diced
½ large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery rib, diced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground celery seed or lovage seed
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup cream or milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 cups cooked wild rice (preferably cooked in broth)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and/or dill
¼ cup shredded cheese (or more if you want!)
¼ cup french fried onions or shallots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and roast the cubed squash until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a stove-proof casserole pan over medium heat. Sauté the diced sausage until it begins to brown and release its fat (about 5 minutes), then add the onions, garlic and celery. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and go translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Melt in the butter and then add the spices and flour, stirring until everything is coated in the flour — it’ll look kind of messy, but go ahead and add the cream (or milk) and broth, stirring until the flour is dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring, until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the sour cream, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Fold in the cooked wild rice, roasted squash and chopped parsley until evenly combined, then top with the shredded cheese and fried onions. Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly around the edges, about 15 minutes.