Wild Rice Casserole

This is going to be a new comfort food in my house. It's creamy, hearty, and smells amazing bubbling away in the oven. You can make this with just wild rice or brown rice, or a combination of the two. I followed the author's suggestion and made 1/2 wild rice and 1/2 brown rice. Delicious combination!

Original inspiration: Super Natural Every Day

Serving size: 6 main-course sized portions (could be served as a side-dish as well)

WW: 5 pointsplus per serving

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup (8 ounces) low fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup (4 ounces) low fat sour cream

2 teaspoons Dijon or whole grain mustard (if your Dijon is super spicy, use less)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ounce gruyere cheese, grated

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon or thyme, finely chopped

1 1/4 cups wild rice and/or brown rice (I made mine fresh, but you could use frozen)

sea salt

Method:

Bring a pot of your rice(s), 3 cups of water, and about 1/2 teaspoons of salt to a boil. Let simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the water is all absorbed and the rice is tender.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish (about 9" by 13") with olive oil or butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a large skillet, combine the olive oil and a few pinches of salt and turn the heat to high. Stir in the mushrooms and then do not touch them again for 5 minutes (until any water from the mushrooms evaporate). Continue to cook the mushrooms until they are browned, stirring every minute or two. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until they become translucent. Then, stir in the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant (about a minute). Remove the skillet from the heat.

Add the rice mixture to the skillet and stir until it is combined well, then add everything to the cottage cheese mixture. Mix well and then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Spread the mixture evenly into the baking dish and top with the grated gruyere cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the casserole gets golden brown along the edges (about 20-30 additional minutes). Serve the casserole hot, right from the oven, with minced tarragon and another sprinkle of grated gruyere, if you want it (extra pointsplus). I served this as a main course with a side of arugula salad with apples, blue cheese, and apple cider vinaigrette. Excellent!