It’s Thanksgiving week!!!!
I love Thanksgiving week. The food, the smells, the laughter…Thanksgiving week is a food blogger’s dream. So let’s talk side dishes. What are you doing? May I humbly suggest this rice plus these brussels sprouts? I know this might sound sacrilegious to some, but………. I’m not the biggest mashed potato fan.
I know, right?
That’s probably just because I hate making them so much. I really do. In terms of starch, I like sweet potatoes loaded with enough maple syrup, brown sugar and marshmallows to give you an emergency dental appointment. I also really like rice. Pretty rice, that is.
And folks, this is some pretty rice. I don’t know about you, but I could use some more wild rice in my life. It’s just so pretty! And chewy!
Wild rice > brown rice >> white rice
Guess what? I like my rice like I like my sweet potatoes AND brussels sprouts—-with ample brown sugar. Are you shocked or not really?
I knew it.
Brown sugar is what makes this rice dish really POP! It adds that bit of unexpected sweetness that pairs perfectly with the crunchy pecans and dried cranberries. I made so much of this rice that I ate it for lunch for three days straight, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Wild Rice with Caramelized Shallots, Cranberries and Pecans
inspired by Martha
serves 8
Ingredients:
2 cups wild rice
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried cranberries + 3 cups boiling water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
Directions:
Combine the rice, water and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about an hour or until all the water has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 and place pecans on a tin foil-covered sheet tray. Toast for five minutes, until fragrant and toasty (but watch so you don’t burn them!). Combine dried cranberries and boiling water and let plump for 10 minutes. Drain water.
Heat olive oil over medium high heat and add thinly sliced shallots. Saute for 10 minutes over medium low heat and then add brown sugar and continue sauteing for another three minutes, stirring constantly.
After rice has cooked, fluff with a fork and remove from heat. Add shallots, cranberries and toasted pecans. Season with salt to taste and serve.
Time:
1.5 hours
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{ 68 comments… read them below or add one }
That does look SO pretty! I dont like mashed potatoes either and I live in a country where people basically dont like sweet potatoes (I know… I know….) so this could be PERECT!!!!
I’ve never had wild rice before, but this recipe looks delicious. Maybe I’ll try it with red rice.
Jenna this looks perfect. I would take wild rice 100% of the time over potatoes. No matter what. I don’t like stuffing, either. Crazy but true. Not a fan, at all. But wild rice, like this and with brown sugar…oh yes, sign me up!
Love the first image…great closeup!
I agree wild rice is my favorite & this dish looks delicious I’d pick rice over potatoes any day
Yum, this is my favorite kind of Fall dish!
The wild rice dish looks wonderful. I love mashed potatoes but I hate making them which is why I usually don’t!
This looks PERFECT and wonderful!
What a perfect side dish! Looks great!
This looks amazing Jenna!
And I just officially found a dairy free side dish that I will be bringing to Thanksgiving at my in laws. Thank you!! This looks delicious and beautiful! Have a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving, Jenna.
I love the flavor combinations in your recipe! I’m a big mashed potato fan, but this sounds like the perfect festive dish, and could probably be eaten as a main meal or side. I don’t know why, but I hardly ever buy wild rice. Time to change that!
wild rice is my favorite…the texture is just so perfect! this sounds so amazing and like a PERFECT side dish!
WOW, I cannot believe you posted this recipe. This has been a family favorite of mine since about 10 years. We make one minor change, instead of pecans we do walnuts. My Dad found this recipe in the NY Times dining section. We make this along side mashed potatoes as he doesn’t want to give up that side dish!
This rice sounds so delicious and hearty! As a kid, my dad never made us anything but plain white rice, occasionally with some peas or meat mixed in. It was G-ross. But I adore wild rice (and any type that’s not just plain white) and if there’s brown sugar involved, well, then I’m sold.
This sounds fantastic! I am bookmarking it.
Lemon is my go-to recipe popper.
Hope your flight went better yesterday than the way mine has started (or lack of starting)!
Oh, I love love love this! I do love mashed potatoes with a passion but there is something so irresistible to me about rice with all sorts of fun stuff in it. I could see myself making this year round.
Love rice and cranberries together! Great recipe
This sounds perfect for fall. I love the brown sugar addition, I’ve never done that to rice. Mashed potatoes aren’t my thing either. Roasted sweet potatoes with plenty of butter are way more up my alley
this looks delicious! i LOVE wild rice, especially when it’s kicked up with these awesome add ins.
What a pretty side! This would definately brighten any Thanksgiving spread. And, I love your nail polish…
I love mashed potatoes (or any kind of potatoes) but I still think this recipe looks awesome! I’ll have to run out and grab some wild rice to try!
This dish does look really pretty! I think pecans make every meal a little more holiday-ish, personally.
Wild rice is totally under-appreciated! It is one of my very favorite things! That chewy texture is to-die-for.
I’m not the biggest mashed potato fan either…people always think I’m weird for it. I’m glad I’m not alone.
This looks incredible and it really is so beautiful. I love what Cranberries can do to the appearance of dishes!
This looks so good! Happy Thanksgiving week to you as well! I LOVE this time of year!!
YUM, this looks delicious! I think I love the sides on thanksgiving more then the turkey! I can hardly wait for Thursday!
Happy Thanksgiving Week Jenna!
I love this side dish recipe and how accessible all the ingredients are. And, like you said, it’s just so pretty…and sweet…I like sweet things!
Canadian Thanksgiving has come come and gone, but the cranberries make this recipe kinda festive. I think I will try this baby out for Christmas this year!
Eeeek. Can’t wait.
This would be great with cheese I think. I like rice a lot, I think a lot of people don’t appreciate it enough, but it goes well in any meal.
Love the cranberries in there!
Love the addition of the cranberries – adds such a pretty color and flavor!
Okay, first of all…this looks amazing and will be quite likely to land on my Thanksgiving table. Secondly…HOLY COW! I just found out that you went to Elon for a semester or two! I was having lunch with a friend from college the other day (we both graduated from Elon in 2007) and were swapping blogs. I recommended yours and she said she was already following because you went to Elon (I guess your roommate freshman year is a friend of hers?). Crazy! Anyway, just had to say hey and what a small world it is!
~Gavin
This looks good, but I have to admit that I’m most taken by that pop of pink on your thumb! What color nail polish is that?
This sounds so yummy! Love this healthy dish.
Happy Thanksgiving Week! That looks live a very lovely side. I’m not sure I’ve met anyone who doesn’t like mashed potatoes before…they’re so gluttonous and divine. Sweet potatoes rock as well, clearly.
I like how this is different.
I. AM. SO. DOING. THIS.
Yummy!!! I love introducing healthy bites to my family this looks like a great hit, I can see it already! Thanks:)
this is such a pretty side! this year is my first american thanksgiving (i’m canadian!) so I have been perusing blogs to figure out what i should contribute. this might just be the dish!
Love the idea here and such a refreshing recipe to have incase you do not want to go the tradiotnal route always on Turkey Day.
Dang, this is like a wild rice dessert. I’m all in. Do you think the family would notice if I replaced mashed potatoes with this on Thursday?
hi jenna! i have an emergency thanksgiving cooking question unrelated to this particular post (okay, “emergency” is a little overdramatic)! i volunteered to bring a baked mac and cheese dish on thanksgiving so of course am making your pumpkin dish on the pbs blog. here’s my question….we are going over there around 10:30 to watch football and then eating the thanksgiving meal around 2. how do i go about cooking the mac and cheese? should i do it before hand and just warm it in the oven when we are getting close to eating? or should i just get it all ready, refrigerate it once we get there, and then heat it half an hour or so before we eat?
i’m clearly a cooking newbie! and i know jenna’s a busy girl, so if anyone else has any feedback on this, i’d certainly welcome it!
I would get it all ready, put it in the fridge then bake once you’re there!
that’s what i’ll do! thanks so much!
I think the caramelized shallots and cranberries would serve as added sweeteners. The extra sugar isn’t necessary? but will have to give it a whirl and see.
You use the brown sugar to caramelize the shallots.
Oh! I just use a little oil – but then I guess that technically isn’t caramelizing
Ooo me gusta mucho! I’m not the world’s biggest mashed tater fan either, I’d much rather have the interesting mix of flavors and textures that rice, pecans and cranberries provide.
i love the colors… so pretty! this would be awesome with some chicken for my lunch during the week
This looks amazing!!! I never rice because for some reason it is the one thing I always mess up, but this totally makes me want to try anyway! Bookmarked!
I agree. I am not the biggest white mashed potato fan either. I much prefer some sweet potatoes topped with brown sugar, butter and pecans. With that being said, this rice dish has some of my favorite ingredients in it. Can’t wait to try it out!
Without even looking at this post … just based on the title of ingredients alone – - I knew this would be a killer recipe
and boy was I right!!
oh this looks so amazing…I am a huge fan of wild rice and this looks like the perfect thanksgiving side dish. My parents will of course want mashed potatoes as usual, but i might go ahead and bring this too…maybe just halve the recipe. Thanks!
Amazing side dish, I’m trying it ASAP. I thought I was the only one on the planet that wasn’t a fan of mashed potatoes. I’ll eat them, but would much prefer others sides!
Thanksgiving week is seriously like Christmas day for us food bloggers! Great looking rice!
OH YUM. Seriously, this dish is screaming my name. I don’t think I can make it for Thanksgiving, because my family is a mashed potato family (not me, but I make do with sweet potatoes
) but this rice looks TDF and I want it for lunch. Or with chicken for dinner next week. YUM.
I am not the biggest mashed fan either!! But put a sweet potato around me and it will be gone in seconds!
Thos looks fabulous! I might need to add to our Thanksgiving menu, thanks!
No need to say more than the title. I’m all over it! Love wild rice…and cranberries…..and shallots….. oh ya, pecans, too.
mmmm mhmm just made wild rice a few days ago for the first time. I had it with some simple herbed butter and that was it, very nutty and delicious!
Cranberries IN my rice? Yes please!
I’m such a wild rice fan. It’s so gorgeous in Cali, huh?
I just got my books in the mail today! It’s an absolute miracle they came before my flight! So excited for my books-thanks again for your great recs
Mmmm! I don’t have wild rice at home right now, I may try it with quinoa. Hope it turns out as this looks! Perfect for thanksgiving.
What a gorgeous dish! I’ve been loving wild-rice lately. I stuck to brown rice for the longest time but I’m finally branching out. And with the addition of cranberries?! Perfection!
Jenna – I made this for Thanksgiving and LOVED it! It was beautiful and delicious!
Tonight – I am making your Turkey Chili recipe and enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir
Thanks for such great recipes.
Must be a canadian thing, but I would use maple syrup instead of the brown sugar!
I made this for a side-dish for a party I’m going to tomorrow evening, and it came out amazing!!! It really has such a great taste and is a perfect side dish for this time of year. As someone who really isn’t much of a cook, I made this dish and it was *simple*, and the result’s delicious!
I made this for the first time yesterday to take to a belated family Thanksgiving dinner. Turned out great! My biggest critic — my 16-month-old nephew — ate it as well (minus some of the chunks of pecans), so it was a total win in my book.
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