Holiday Wild Rice Dressing

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel, dice and roast the butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper and sage. The squash can roast while the rice cooks (next steps) or you can do it a day ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. 2

   In a large pot, melt 2 Tbsp of butter and add 1.5 cups (or 12 oz.) onion/celery/bell pepper mix. If you do not want to use a frozen mix, substitute one medium yellow onion, one bell pepper and 3 stalks of celery. Cook down until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 5 minutes).

3. 3

   Stir the wild rice mix into the vegetables and butter. Continue to cook and stir for about one minute more to toast the rice. You should be able to smell the toasty aroma.

4. 4

   Add 3 cups of water, 1 Tbsp chicken base, leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme and 1/2 tsp of dried sage. Add a lid to the pot and bring it up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 50 minutes then turn off the heat and let sit for 10 more minutes. Check your rice package for the cooking instructions, they may vary slightly.

5. 5

   After you get the wild rice mix going, cook the white rice. The white rice cooks much faster so you want to do it separately to avoid over cooking and turning it to mush. Place the dry white rice in a smaller pot and add 2 cups of water. Place a lid on top, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Turn the heat off and let sit with the lid in place until ready to use.

6. 6

   When the wild rice mix is finished cooking, fluff it up with a fork. Gently stir in the white rice, butternut squash cubes, dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. Give the mix a taste to see if you want to add any additional salt or pepper. Serve garnished with fresh parsley or thyme.