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Pioneer Woman’s Broccoli-Wild Rice Casserole (Giveaway Winners Announced!)

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Congratulations to our giveaway winners Adrienne, Heather, Wanda, Mary-Jo and Kiki on winning Ree Drummond’s new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. Enjoy!

Today we’re featuring Broccoli-Wild Rice Casserole, one of Ree Drummond’s Thanksgiving side dishes from her new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. Even better we’re giving away five copies!

Believe it or not, in her acknowledgements Ree credits me with giving her the idea for this book a few years ago. She ponders whether the idea came while we were sitting in her kitchen “sipping coffee (or was it wine?).” Hmm.

Maybe I’m a bit biased, but I love Ree’s Year of Holidays. Bookended by New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve, this book is exquisitely crammed with recipes, photos, decorating ideas, and tips for all twelve big holidays in between. Imagine, all your favorite holiday recipes—stuff you really want to make—done well and in one place.

As I page through the book, there are so many dishes I want to share with our readers. Like Ree’s brilliantly simple Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries or her to-die-for Caramel Apple Pie. As David was leafing through the book, he stopped at a photo of an Easter brunch plate, pointed to the Eggs in Hash Brown Nests, and boldly proclaimed, “I want that!” And even if there are no kids at my house on Valentine’s Day, I’m definitely making those Candy-Dipped S’Mores.

I also loved all the pictures of the family—Ree’s kids, her mom and dad, her mother- and father-in-law, and her sister, Betsy. There are even some vintage photos of her. These photos make an already great book feel warm and special.

Because I’ll be reaching for it regularly, this book has been added to the select group that actually lives in my kitchen. I am looking forward to this year of holidays, and to adding some wonderful new recipes to our traditional ones.

Thanks for the gift of new holiday inspiration, Ree. You can call me for coffee (or wine!) any time!

Let’s keep it simple. To enter the contest to win one of the five books we’re giving away, leave a comment telling us what dish you can’t wait to make or eat this Thanksgiving. Contest ends this Sunday night, November 17th at 9 PM Eastern Time. We’ll announce winners the following morning.

(I’m pretty excited about trying those Brussels sprouts!)

Pioneer Woman's Broccoli-Wild Rice Casserole
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 cups wild rice or wild rice blend
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 2 to 3 broccoli crowns, cut into small florets
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
  • 1 medium-large onion, cut into small dice
  • 1 pound domestic white or baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into small dice
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Place rice in a large saucepan, along with 5 cups of the broth; bring to boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is just tender and broth is almost absorbed, 35 to 45 minutes; set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of boiling, salted water. Add broccoli florets and cook until bright green and tender crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately drain broccoli and plunge it into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When cool, drain and set aside.
  3. Heat 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms; saute until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery; saute until all of the vegetables are soft and mixture starts to turn golden brown. Sprinkle in flour; stir to incorporate. Stir in remaining 3 cups of broth; bring to a simmer and continue to simmer to thicken slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in heavy cream; continue to simmer to heat through. Remove from heat.
  4. When ready to assemble, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread half of the rice in a 13- by 9-inch pan or other 2-quart casserole. Add enough broccoli to cover the surface. Repeat layering with remaining rice and enough broccoli to cover the surface. Ladle on sauce to evenly cover the casserole.
  5. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter; toss with panko crumbs to coat. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over casserole. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until breadcrumbs and golden brown and casserole is bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve or as Ree would say, “Then dig in!”
Notes
Says Ree, “Beware: This heavenly side dish takes everything you ever knew about broccoli-rice casserole and turns it upside down, shakes it up, messes with it, rearranges it, and totally changes things forever. The wild rice adds a nice chewiness and color, and my homemade approach to cream of mushroom soup might keep you from ever cracking open another can of the stuff as long as you live. This is utterly luscious.”
We agree, Ree.

 

About Pam Anderson

Pam Anderson considers herself Every Cook. A New York Times bestselling author, she has been cooking nearly everyday for over 30 years. With seven published books, she brings satisfying recipes and sage advice to both novice and veteran cooks. Whether you’re on a quest for the perfect brownie, wanting to get dinner on the table effortlessly, hoping to entertain more simply, attempting to shed pounds permanently, or looking to eat delicious meatless, Pam can help. AARP’s official food expert, she is a chef contributor at Runner’s World magazine. Pam is former Executive Editor of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. Her food articles have appeared in many food magazines. She teaches cooking classes across the country and appears frequently on TV and radio. She currently is blogging at her new site, Copper House Events.

2,543 Comments

  1. Janet Coker says

    I can’t wait to try Ree’s pecan pie recipe. I’ve been studying it and making a grocery list. I’m actually going to make pie crust for the first time!

  2. Kim Norgard says

    I look forward to the anticipation everyone has as they’re waiting to see what I pull off this year. I’m deeply gratified when I see the look on my husband’s face when he eats the stuffing, or when my 7-year old asks for seconds of the sweet potatoes with marshmallows. My best friend is vegetarian, so making interesting and festive fare for her is always a welcomed challenge.
    I can’t wait to hopefully have your cookbook in my hands and in my kitchen. 🙂

  5. Teresa Justus says

    This will be my second year to host Thanksgiving at my house. I am looking most forward to making the crowd pleasing turkey again!

  6. Dawn Orange says

    I can’t wait to eat a leftover turkey & dressing sandwich with my Mom’s homemade cranberry salad on it!!

  7. Kimery says

    How do I pick one? Love the feasting of turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and green bean casserole and pumpkin pie and chocolate pie and now I’m drooling. lol

  11. Meghan says

    I loved my grandfather’s oyster stuffing. He never wrote any recipes down, and when he passed, I wished he had. He was an amazing cook. Could make a turkey taste like a ham! But his stuffing was the best!

  20. Shannon Burrell says

    I am going to try and make my grandmothers famous chestnut stuffing. I remember this and it always makes me smile. I am hoping that I can do it justice…I want tostart this tradition with my own family now and hopefuly it will carry though with my sons family when he is older. He is 7 now, so I have many years to perfect it if I need to…whew!!

  23. Charlotte says

    Can’t wait to male good ole sweet potato casserole and see the sweet love on the faces of my family enjoying it!

  28. shirley key says

    my cornbread dressing, my late mother’n’law taught me how to make, she was such a good cook. I would love to have another one of your cookbooks

  29. Ashley says

    Mashed potatoes and gravy. It’s usually the side dish that takes up the greatest portion of my plate.

  33. Karin F says

    Our thanksgiving is already past here in Canada — but I’m looking forward to trying this recipe you’ve shared today — sounds delightful!!

  34. Jean F says

    Absolutely delicious fried turkey made by our son, Robert! I love this plus lots of others, but this is my favorite!

  39. Jeffrey says

    I never liked sweet potatoes when I was growing up and now that is the one thing that I hit up for seconds. Not to mention the many ways I use them leading up to the dinner feasts! Can’t forget to mention the pecan pie that eat every year!

  45. Shelley says

    That Broccoli Wild Rice recipe sounds so good and a good alternative to dressing. Gonna try it out this weekend and planning on using it for a new side dish for Thanksgiving and probably Christmas dinner too. Thanks for the recipe!

  49. Sheila Juarez says

    I can hardly wait to make my mommas and grandmothers homemade cornbread and giblet dressing. I have so may fond memories of my grndmother in Oklahoma when I mke this.

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