Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Casserole

I really became worried about the current generation when my niece came home from kindergarten a few years ago excitedly talking about the potatoes they had at lunch. “They were so good,” she exclaimed. “They had something in the middle and it was so yummy!” She jabbered on about it so much that her mom finally pulled out the school lunch menu to find out what these magical potatoes were. Turned out it was mashed potatoes and gravy. The poor kid had never had gravy before!

Ahh, progress. Is it REALLY progress when the world is churning out parents who have no idea how to make gravy? I think not. So today, I have a recipe that allows us to experience the magic of Thanksgiving (and gravy) anytime … because it’s so easy to make. Freeze some of your leftover turkey by simply dicing up about 2 cups of it and putting it in a freezer bag. Then sometime soon you can make “Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Casserole.” Our Creamy Wild Rice Soup does all the heavy lifting … that’s what makes the magical gravy.

Check out the recipe below and plan to make it next month … maybe when you have some relatives visiting or a small child who has yet to experience the joys of gravy!

j*a*N*e

Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Casserole

Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients

• Creamy Wild Rice Soup Mix
• 5 cups hot water
• 14 oz. seasoned breadcrumbs (stuffing mix)
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 large unpeeled, chopped Granny Smith apple
• 2 cups cooked, cubed turkey or chicken
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare soup as directed on package with water; cook 30 minutes. Place breadcrumbs into bowl; add cranberries, apple and meat. Lightly beat eggs; pour over dry mixture. Mix well. Pour soup over stuffing mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in a large greased baking dish; season to taste. Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour. Remove cover for last 15 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings.

Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Casserole

Testing Notes:

• This came together very easily, but it does take time to pre-cook the soup and then bake the casserole. So I assembled the casserole one night and baked it the next. You will need to bake it a little longer when it goes from fridge to oven, but it turned out beautifully. If you have time, take the casserole out of the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes before you bake it. If you don’t have time, just toss it in the oven and bake it 15-20 minutes longer.
• The recipe calls for breadcrumbs … and to me, those are granular and come in a canister – but that’s not what you need. You should buy stuffing mix – dried bread cubes. I don’t recommend the boxed stove top variety – it’s too salty. Plus it usually comes in 6 oz. boxes, and you need 14 oz. for this recipe.
• I have been surprised by how much the sodium can vary for stuffing mixes (and breadcrumbs, for that matter). So I usually choose which to buy by the sodium content – I pick the lowest. Any flavor will do (sage and onion, seasoned, etc.).
• I did not add any additional salt, and that worked perfectly for our palates. (OK … now you think I’m some kind of anti-salt freak. I’m really not. Just so you know.)
• I did not peel the apple, so that made the prep work quick. Once the dish was baked the apple peel was soft and tender, so there really is no need to peel the apple. Also, I didn’t have a Granny Smith apple, so I subbed a Braeburn. Worked fine. I would not recommend a Red Delicious (they are not good for baking) but about any other kind will do.
• I had some dried cranberries in my cabinet that were a bit elderly, so they were kind of dried out. I brought them back to life by pouring about a half a cup of boiling water over them and letting them stand while I prepped the other ingredients. Then I drained them well and tossed them in. Magic!
• You’ll need a pretty big bowl to mix this all together, and my 9×13 casserole dish was packed full. Since there are just three people in my family, that was a lot of casserole. However, we LOVED it and thus had no trouble taking the leftovers for lunch for a couple of days.
• If your family isn’t as fond of leftovers, then divide the mixture between two 8×8 (or 9×9) pans and freeze one (unbaked). Then in a month or two, all you’ll need to do is set the frozen one in the fridge to thaw for a day (24 hours) and bake it as directed. Easy dinner!
• As I mentioned, this got rave reviews from my family – we will definitely be making this again!

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