Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe

The best wild rice stuffing recipe flavored with apples and cranberries. This gluten free rice stuffing great for stuffing your turkey (or chicken) or serve it as a dressing (or casserole) with your turkey (or any other meat dishes).

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 262kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

For The Wild Rice Blend:

2 cups wild rice blend I use Lundberg Wild Rice Blend
Cooking liquid water, vegetable or chicken broth
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For The Dressing:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion chopped - approximately 1 cup
4 stalks celery chopped - approximately 1 cup
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon butter
2 apples cored and cut into ½ inch cubes (no need to peel)
1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
½ cup pecans chopped
⅓ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons fresh sage roughly chopped - Plus more as garnish
Handful of pomegranate arils for color optional

Instructions

Cook the wild rice blend according to package directions, using broth instead of water. When the cooking is done, take it off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for about 10-15 minutes. *
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan. Add in the onion, celery, salt and pepper and saute until softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer into a large bowl and set aside. Do not wash the pan.
Heat butter over medium heat in the now-empty pan and add in the apple cubes. Sautee, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice.
Place the cooked apples and wild rice blend into the bowl with the onion and celery mixture. Add in the pecans, cranberries, and sage. Give it a toss.
Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and warm in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
Garnish with pomegranate arils (if using) and chopped sage. Serve.

Notes

*Alternatively, if you have an electric pressure cooker (like Instant Pot), you can use my Instant Pot wild rice blend recipe to cook wild rice.
This wild rice stuffing recipe makes around 9-10 cups of stuffing, which I think is ideal for serving 8 people. This amount is generally enough for a 12-14 pound turkey. The nutritional values below are per serving.
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions:
- To freeze: Cook this wild rice stuffing as directed in the recipe, then let it cool completely and come to room temperature. Omit the pomegranate seeds and save those for when you serve the stuffing. Ideally, you would freeze this in a container that is both freezer- and oven-safe, but you could always freeze it in a plastic container or even a plastic Ziplock bag and then transfer it to a disposable or glass baking dish when you’re ready to reheat.
- To reheat: Let the frozen wild rice stuffing first thaw completely in the fridge overnight. The day of serving, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before baking. Then, transfer it to an oven-safe baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 325 for approx.. 25-30 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed through. Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking so some of the moisture evaporates and the top browns. Top with pomegranate seeds before serving.
- You can also make a batch, bring it to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Simply, transfer it to a casserole dish and heat it in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 25-30 minutes to heat it thoroughly.
- The best way to store leftovers: The wild rice turkey stuffing recipe below make a good 9-10 cups of stuffing. If you have any left overs, you can store the unconsumed wild rice stuffing in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition