Oven Baked Wild Rice For One

I wasn’t sure how to introduce a recipe called Oven Baked Wild Rice for One on Cookie Madness. “Celebrate Labor Day with wild rice!” felt like a stretch, and “Here’s a rare savory recipe” made me sound like an alien who only eats sugar. So no holiday tie-in, no clever gimmick -- just a recipe I love and a good example of the kind of cooking I’ve been doing lately: very small batch, with as little mess as possible. And the fun part, using mini lidded casserole dishes.

Here’s the rice in its little pot, technically called a cocotte. They appeal to my inner baker because you just stir everything together right in the dish, pop on the lid, and bake. And who doesn't love having hot food served in its own little pot? The ones I've been using are Crofton from Aldi and hold a little under 8 oz.

Double, Triple or Quadruple

The recipe is written for one, but it easily doubles, triples, or even quadruples. I use long-grain basmati rice with Whole Foods brand wild rice, toss in a few Sun-Maid currants, and usually make the broth with about ½ teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon. Use any broth you like and just adjust the salt to taste. For the nuts, pecans are my favorite, but walnuts or almonds work too.

Microwaving the Shallot

You can definitely take some liberties with this recipe, especially with the tiny bit of shallot. A whole skillet felt like overkill for one teaspoon of butter and a tablespoon of shallot, so I just melt the butter in the microwave, stir in the chopped shallot, and give it a quick zap. It softens up just enough to bring out that sweet flavor, without dirtying another dish.

Mini Lidded Casserole Dishes

Speaking of dishes, if you don’t already have a cabinet full of mini lidded casserole dishes (cocottes), there are plenty of cute options out there. The fun way to find them is at thrift stores, but Aldi, TJ Maxx and the like usually have them too. You can also order them online if you want to skip the hunt.

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Recipe

Baked Wild Rice Pilaf for One

Anna

A fun way to use individual lidded casserole dishes. Mix and bake perfect wild rice!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Cooling Time 1 minute min

Total Time 51 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 1 pot

Ingredients

 

• ½ teaspoon butter or a little more if you like
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons wild rice, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons basmati rice, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon dried currants or chopped dried cranberries
• 1 pinch salt and pepper
• ½ cup hot chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 small squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
• ½ tablespoon toasted pecans, walnuts or almonds (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Have ready an 8 oz lidded casserole dish.
• Put the butter in the dish and melt it in the microwave, being mindful of power settings. I usually melt butter at 50% power so that it won't splatter.
• Put the chopped shallot in the dish with the hot melted butter. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and heat again at 50% power for 30 to 60 seconds or just until the shallots are fragrant.
• Carefully remove from microwave and add rice and currants. Stir well, then pour in exactly ½ cup of salted chicken broth. If using unsalted, you'll want to add a pinch or two of salt.
• Put the lid on the dish, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove lid, fluff rice, add a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle with nuts. Add more salt or pepper if needed.

Keyword Cooking for One, Mini Casserole

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!