Wild Grain Casserole with Caramelized Onion, Dates, and Walnuts

My Wild Grain Casserole with Caramelized Onions, Dates, and Walnuts is a hearty side dish of wild rice varieties, studded with sweet, juicy Medjool dates and crunchy toasted walnuts. This vegan side dish is a one-pot meal that begins on the stove and finishes in the oven, making it a great holiday dish. The versatility of this recipe allows you to have a flavorful addition to your main course, but it also makes a great meal on its own.

This post is sponsored by my friends at Natural Delights Medjool Dates. I was invited to participate in this year’s date harvest in Yuma, AZ, and I learned so much about Medjool dates! All opinions are my own. Be sure to support Natural Delights as they make posts like this possible here on Sense and Edibility®. 

What Is A Wild Grain Casserole?

Casseroles are usually foods baked in an oven inside a heavy dish of the same name. Baking must be a part of the recipe for a dish to be considered a casserole. In this one-pot recipe, the casserole begins on the stove and finishes in the oven. It’s great for days when you don’t want to babysit a flame or are pressed for stovetop space. 

Wild grains are a mixture of different rice types: black, brown, red, and wild. This colorful mixture of grains is a great source of nutrients but also low in calories. As a result, this rice blend is a great way to incorporate whole grains into your diet while forming the base of a fantastic side dish. I love serving this wild grain casserole for dinner on a weeknight, but it also makes a beautiful holiday or celebratory side dish that always impresses my guests. Moreover, it’s a vegan recipe, making it a great dish to serve to crowds.

What Do I Need To Make This Recipe?

Wild grain casserole is made with a wild grain rice blend, yellow onion, vegetable stock, walnuts, thyme leaves, kosher salt, pepper, brown sugar, olive oil, and Medjool dates. 

Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s made in one pot. You need a pot that has an oven-safe lid, though. 

What Are Medjool Dates?

Medjool dates are a caramel-flavored, high-fiber fruit from Morocco. These particular dates were grown in Yuma, AZ, but the OG dates come from the African country. People here in the States tend to box dates in and think they’re only good for snacking or sweet recipes. I, on the other hand, love to use them in savory dishes to provide a sweet, colorful contrast.

Make sure you purchase pitted dates for this recipe to save you a few steps when making it. Removing the pits isn’t difficult if you can’t find pitted dates. Cut a slit down the length of the date and pluck the oblong pit out. 

Cut the dates into 1/2-inch chunks with a chef’s knife. Here’s a tip: Because the best dates are often sticky, rub some vegetable oil on your knife blade to keep them from sticking. I coat a paper towel with the oil and rub a thin film on the blade. This allows my knife to slide through the fruit while keeping the chunks of dates from sticking to each other. 

Set the dates aside for now. 

Why Toast The Nuts?

Making this a one-pot recipe is simple. Begin by toasting the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Toasting nuts coaxes out their natural flavor by heating the oils within the meat. This gives a more prominent nutty flavor than just adding the nuts to a recipe. 

Transfer them to a dish to cool once you smell the walnut’s aroma.

You can replace the walnuts in this recipe with chopped almonds, pecans, hazelnuts (filberts), shelled pistachios, or pine nuts. 

How Long Does It Take To Caramelize Onions?

It takes close to 45 minutes to properly caramelize onions. The onions begin on the stovetop and finish caramelizing in the oven with the remaining ingredients. I prefer the mellow flavor of yellow onions in this recipe, but you can replace them with white if that’s what you have. 

Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe, 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions to oil in the pot once it begins to shimmer. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times while they cook. 

What Other Herbs Can I Use?

Add the brown sugar, dried thyme leaves, kosher salt, and pepper to the pot with the onions. Normally, onions are left to caramelize for an extended period, which is how they develop their deep color and flavor. The brown sugar helps speed up the process without the inherent risk of burning that’s inherent when caramelizing onions without it.

I prefer dried thyme leaves in this recipe because it’s more convenient. If you use fresh thyme, wait until the end of the recipe to add it to maintain the flavor. You can replace the thyme in this recipe with crushed rosemary, oregano, basil, or sage. Both dried or fresh versions of these herbs will taste amazing as a replacement for the thyme.

Continue cooking the onions for 6 minutes, stirring once every minute until golden brown. Decrease the temperature to medium if the onions are browning too fast. The goal is to achieve the caramelization- or browning- without scorching the onions. 

How Do I Keep My Wild Grain Casserole From Becoming Mushy?

Add the rinsed and drained wild grains to the pot and stir them into the caramelized onions and oil for 30 seconds.

Rinsing and toasting wild grains in oil helps prevent stickiness and mushiness during cooking. Rinsing removes excess starch from the rice, which causes mushiness due to excess starch in the cooking liquids. Adding the grains to the pot before the cooking liquids allows you to coat them in olive oil. That coating of oil around the grains prevents them from sticking together and also contributes a nutty flavor. 

Add the vegetable stock to the rice in the pot after toasting them. Bring this liquid in the pot up to a rapid boil.

Can I Finish The Recipe On The Stovetop?

Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the pot and sandwich the lid onto the pot to create a tight seal. Transfer the pot to a 350°F (180°C) oven and steam the wild grains for 20-25 minutes. 

You can skip the oven if you prefer and finish the rice on top of the stove. Reduce the heat to low after covering the pot, and continue cooking the wild grains for 25-30 minutes.

How Do I Finish This Wild Grain Casserole?

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and add the toasted walnuts and chopped dates to the grains. Remember, the knob on the lid is hot.

Toss everything together until combined, fluffing up the rice and breaking up large clumps. If you’re using fresh thyme leaves, add them with the dates and walnuts. 

Garnish the wild grain casserole with fresh thyme leaves and/or additional dates and walnuts. 

How Do I Serve It?

Serve this wild grain casserole with roasted, baked, or grilled proteins like beef, pork, poultry, or seafood. I love this recipe because I can serve it as a side dish or enjoy it on its own as a vegan dish for lunch or dinner. 

If you decide to serve it as a side dish to your main course, I recommend these Chuletas Fritas (Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops), Garlic Herb Grilled Lamb Chops, or my Jerk Pernil recipe.

What’s The Best Way To Store Leftover Wild Grain Casserole?

Store leftover wild grain casserole in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

You can reheat this wild grain casserole in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or in a pot on the stove over medium heat until warm.  

Can I Freeze It?

To freeze wild grain casserole:

1. Allow the casserole to cool completely. 
2. Transfer the wild grain casserole to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 2 months.
3. Thaw the frozen rice in its container in the fridge, then reheat it using the instructions above. 

This Wild Grain Casserole with Caramelized Onions, Dates, and Walnuts is a hearty side dish with tons of flavor and texture in one bite. If you’re not using dates in your savory recipes, this casserole will inspire you to start. In addition to providing tons of nutrients and fiber, it’ll complement any entree or serve well on its own.

Be sure to pin this Wild Grain Casserole recipe to your side dishes board and share it with your friends.

Wild Grain Casserole with Caramelized Onion, Dates, and Walnuts

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 4 votes

Wild Grain Casserole with Caramelized Onions, Dates, and Walnuts is a hearty side dish of wild rice varieties, studded with sweet, juicy Medjool dates and crunchy toasted walnuts.

Servings: 6

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Equipment

• 4-quart oven-safe pot

Ingredients

  

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• 1/3 cup (40 grams) chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced (1 1/4 cup or 155 grams)
• 2 tablespoons, lightly packed (25 grams) light brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (240 grams) wild grain mix or wild rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) vegetable stock
• 2/3 cup (5 large or 110 grams), chopped Medjool dates cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions 

• Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C).

Toast the Walnuts

• Add the chopped walnuts to a dry 4-quart, oven-safe pot over medium heat for 3 1/2-4 minutes.

  Transfer the toasted walnuts to a dish to cool once you smell their aroma.

Caramelize the Onions

• Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat.

  Add the diced onions to oil in the pot once the oil begins to shimmer. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times while they cook. 
• Add the brown sugar, dried thyme leaves, kosher salt, and pepper to the pot with the onions.

  Continue cooking the onions for 6 minutes, stirring once every minute until golden brown.

  Decrease the temperature to medium if the onions are browning too fast.

Cook the Rice

• Add the rinsed and drained wild grains to the pot and stir them into the caramelized onions and oil for 30 seconds.

  Add the vegetable stock to the rice in the pot after toasting them. Bring this liquid in the pot up to a rapid boil.
• Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the pot and sandwich the lid onto the pot to create a tight seal.

  Transfer the pot to the hot oven and steam the wild grains for 20-25 minutes. 

Add the Medjool Dates and Walnuts

• Carefully remove the pot from the oven and add the toasted walnuts and chopped dates to the grains. Remember, the knob on the lid is hot.

  Toss everything together until combined, fluffing up the rice and breaking up large clumps.

  If you're using fresh thyme leaves, add them with the dates and walnuts. 
• Garnish the wild grain casserole with fresh thyme leaves and/or additional dates and walnuts. 

  Serve this wild grain casserole with roasted, baked, or grilled proteins like beef, pork, poultry, or seafood.  

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

• Replace the walnuts with chopped almonds, pecans, hazelnuts (filberts), shelled pistachios, or pine nuts. 
• Use white onion instead of yellow.
• Replace the dried thyme leaves with fresh but wait until the end of the recipe to add it to maintain its flavor.
• You can replace the thyme in this recipe with dried or fresh crushed rosemary, oregano, basil, or sage.
• Skip the oven if you prefer and finish cooking the rice on top of the stove. Reduce the heat to low after covering the pot, and continue cooking the wild grains for 25-30 minutes.

Tips and Techniques:

• If you can't find pitted dates purchase them whole. Cut a slit down the length of the date and pluck the oblong pit out. 
• Because the best dates are often sticky, rub a thin layer of vegetable oil on your knife blade to keep them from sticking while you cut them.

Storage Instructions:

• Store leftover wild grain casserole in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• You can reheat this wild grain casserole in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or in a pot on the stove over medium heat until warm.  

Freezing Instructions:

1. Allow the casserole to cool completely. 
2. Transfer the wild grain casserole to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 2 months.
3. Thaw the frozen rice in its container in the fridge, then reheat it using the instructions above. 

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 11gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 482mgPotassium: 531mgFiber: 7gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 207IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2mg

Course Side Dish

Cuisine North African/Middle Eastern, North American

Keyword dates, nuts, onion, rice, wild rice

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