I admit that I always think casserole is a little stodgy. When I think casserole, I think of a baking dish filled with beige mushy matter. How silly of me to under-estimate the goodness of this comfort food when made with care. I’m glad a recipe from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day opened my eyes to the possibilities.
BF grew up in the Midwest and wild rice is a childhood favourite. For this reason, when I saw Swanson’s Wild Rice Casserole recipe, I bookmarked it right away. Her recipe inspired me to make my own version based on ingredients I had on hand reflecting staples I often have in the fridge and pantry. My wild rice casserole is packed with Portobello mushroom, garlic scape, fresh ricotta, duck egg, and sour cream. It is topped with goat gouda and tarragon. You can compare mine with her original version here. I really appreciate the bright flavour from Dijon mustard, meaty mushroom, and savoury garlic scapes. The confetti of tarragon on top gave the dish a hint of liquorice flavour in a fresh way. Even though casserole is often associated with winter, this version has the lightness of spring given its ingredients.
As for texture? There’s absolutely no chance of mushiness in this one! The toothsome texture of wild rice endears them as one of my favourite whole grains. The creaminess of fresh ricotta and sour cream along with rich duck egg bind everything together. I preferred to chop the Portobello mushrooms into slightly larger pieces as well.
What I enjoyed most about this casserole is that it was equally delicious warm or room temperature. Instead of baking in a big baking dish, I baked a small 2-person portion along with some in individual-serving disposable foil pans with lids. The foil containers were great to take along as lunch on the go. If you have access to an oven, it can be warmed up or just dig in at room temperature. Alternatively, they can be frozen and reheated before serving.
Now I finally realize how much I’ve been missing out on casseroles. It is easy to prepare requiring so little attention. All I had to do was to pop the baking dish into the oven and I was free to work on other things. No wonder they are popular for so many busy families! Like anything, when prepared with good wholesome ingredients and utmost care, there is no reason why such a humble dish cannot be spectacular.
