Is there anyone in this country that doesn’t like a good homemade casserole? If anyone says they don’t, they are lying. Just like if people say they don’t like bacon. LIES!
This is one of my favorite casseroles- it’s vegetarian, easy to make, and hearty enough to satisfy meat lovers (mushrooms tend to do that, for some reason. And eggplant. Oh no, now I am thinking about eggplant Parmesan… at 8am… yup. Typical Elizabeth. Well, I know what I am making next week!) This casserole has tons of mushrooms and nutty, slightly crunchy wild rice with sour cream and cottage cheese used as a creamy base. It’s excellent comfort food, and 100% real and unprocessed. Did you know wild rice is not actually rice? It’s a seed from a type of grass. Who knew? While it takes a while to cook, it can be made far in advance in bulk and refrigerated for about a week or frozen for months in individual portions to use in this casserole or other recipes, like soups or veggie burgers. To freeze, just put the portion in a ziplock bag and squeeze all the air out and seal. (Or, suck the air out with a straw! It works and is so cool! Unless you accidentally inhale a grain of rice, in which case it is uncomfortable. But tasty.)
Casseroles are such an American staple, but are often made with processed canned soups. No canned soups here! I’ve also tried casseroles that used “homemade” canned soups- for instance, you can make a relatively easy cream of chicken soup by combining chicken broth, milk, flour, and spices and thickening over the stove. While this is not that difficult, it is an extra step in the cooking process that requires time and energy. I love this casserole because as long as you have rice already cooked, the only thing you have to do is sauté mushrooms and toss with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, spread in a casserole dish, and add shredded cheese on top. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
I should note that this recipe is adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day, which is probably my favorite cookbook right now. You may be wary of it from its seemingly health-crazed title (as I would have been had I not been at the bookstore and able to see it in all its glory before purchasing) but please don’t judge this book based on it’s cover. It’s full of basic, vegetarian, all-natural recipes that are simple, delicious, and best of all, hearty. I highly recommend it. Just be careful… you are going to want to make each and every one of her beautifully photographed dishes! Here’s the printable recipe for Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole :-)
