Wild Grain Casserole with Caramelized Onion, Dates, and Walnuts

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: North African/Middle Eastern, North American

Keyword: dates, nuts, onion, rice, wild rice

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

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.

Print Recipe

Equipment

4-quart oven-safe pot

Ingredients

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:

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

Nutrition