Beef and Wild Rice Casserole

I'm not trying to shout, really I'm not, I'm just trying to get my point across here. It's a CASSEROLE, people. Not a hot dish. I have lived in Minnesota for nearly 8 years, and I still find that little regional difference to be so amusing. I have a few more, but that's not the point of this post. The point of the post is this: This meal is quite possibly the ugliest I have ever made, but it was extremely delicious. Texturally awesome. Hearty. Filling. Comforting. Lots o good feelings for this CASSEROLE I made last night and that we enjoyed the leftovers of tonight. I think what was so pleasing to me is that this is the first wild rice CASSEROLE I've had that was chicken-free. Chicken seems to be a natural pairing for wild rice in these parts, and truly, the beef is super delicious with it. It does require a little planning ahead, because it needs to bake for nearly 2 hours, but the bonus is that you don't have to cook the rice. It just gets magically perfect in the oven. The double bonus is that it doesn't contain any 'cream of something' soups, which I cannot bring myself to purchase or consume any longer. I'm a happy girl over this meal. Wild rice lovers, get on board this CASSEROLE train.

Beef and Wild Rice CASSEROLE
-adapted from melskitchencafe.com
 

• 1 cup wild rice
• 1  lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced (if mushrooms aren't your thing, I think just adding another 1/2 lb of meat would be just fine)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth (I used vegetable)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a small bowl, cover the wild rice with cold water and let it soak for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish.In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the salt and pepper until no longer pink. Drain the grease from the meat (if you have any). Transfer the meat to a paper-towel lined plate and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Return the skillet to the stove top and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, until the onions are translucent and the most of the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue stirring and cook the mixture for about 1 minute over medium heat. Slowly pour in the broth and milk and whisk to incorporate. Add the seasoning salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and paprika and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Drain the wild rice. Stir it in to the sauce with the browned hamburger. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the almonds and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the almonds are golden and toasted and the rice is tender. Trust me that this is one ugly duckling that is really a swan. And the leftovers were awesome.