Featured comment
I made this tonight and oh my gosh I love it. I added a little extra cheese and it’s SO GOOD. I also sprinkled on a handful of sunflower seeds. I recommend this to anyone who loves veggies and fall and yummy healthy yet light dinners! Thank you!
Sabrina
Har-vest.
Meaning (in my world) produce of the fall that makes you feel warm, fuzzy, and cozy, like crispy juicy apples and delicate buttery squash. And that’s exactly what we have going on in this wild rice skillet, with some onions and butter (always, you guys. always.), a handful of grated Provolone, and a hearty scoop of chewy, nutty, Minnesota-native wild rice to bring it all home. Represent.
Lately I’ve been hearing rumors that people don’t like squash.
If that’s true, then I am sharing this recipe in squash-loving vain. But I feel it deep down: some of you like squash too, right? I just feel it. Food vibes, people. Foooood vibes.
I am usually more of a pureed squash kinda person, like butternut squash soup, or butternut squash sauce for my mac and cheese, or kabocha squash creamified and currified as a base for lentils. But this time I gave my Blendtec a break. I decided to leave the squash in pieces this time because I recently found that sauteeing it with just the butter and the thyme is like something otherworldly. The flavors are unbeatable.
If you’re really lucky, you’ll get a little browning on the outside of the squash which is like winning the squash jackpot. On the particular day that I made this, I was
- in a hurry
- using up leftover wild rice
- finding a purpose for a random bag of frozen cubed squash
which is why I didn’t get lucky enough to have the nice browning on the squash. But if you use fresh squash, you will be that lucky and you’ll love it.
So the idea here is it’s a skillet so it’s just all these good things jiving together in the pan and then scooped into a bowl and eaten with a fork. It’s not really a soup or a casserole or anything like that… just a skillet. I know you get me.
Oh hey. One more thing. Bjork and I are vacationing in Montana for the next ten days with our best friends (weeeeeeeeeeeo!) and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the journey on Instagram in case you like that sorta looking-at-other-peoples-vacation-pictures thing like I do.
Also, if you yourself live in Montana, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be neighbors because I’m moving here ASAP. Love. It.
Print
Harvest Wild Rice Skillet
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Apples, squash, sauteed onions, wild rice, and baby kale come together with melted cheese for a yummy Wild Rice Skillet. Perfect for fall!
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (more to taste)
- 2 cups cooked wild rice
- 2 cups baby kale
- 2 cups chopped (crispy juicy unpeeled) apples
- 2 tablespoons cream, milk, or butter
- 1/2 cup shredded Provolone cheese
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Saute the onion and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the squash and thyme; saute for 5-8 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender but not mushy. Add the baby kale and wild rice and stir to combine. Add the cream, milk, or butter if the mixture needs a little moisture to help it all get groovy together.
- Add the apples last so they stay crispy. Add the cheese and stir a few times to get it melted into the ingredients.
Notes
I used quick cooking wild rice that was prepared in the rice cooker the day before Here’s a post on how I peeled my kabocha squash in the Philippines – the same would apply for the butternut squash in this recipe. This would also be delish with a handful of toasted nuts. I am drooling as I type.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: wild rice skillet, harvest skillet, fall skillet recipe
This was easy and really delicious! I added rotisserie chicken for some protein. Really yummy!
This was delicious! I added some nuts on top to give it a little more protein.
Hi there,
This looks amazing & we have loved so many of your other recipes! Any suggestions for the best substitute for the heavy cream if we wanted to make a vegan version? Thanks in advance & happy holidays!
We’ve seen a coconut-based heavy cream by the brand Silk. That might be a great option!
This was amazing! The only change I would make would be to add some chili flakes to give it some heat!
YUM! That would be so good!
@pinchofyum Wondering how long this would last in the fridge, or how to adapt as a meal prep meal? Among other things I’m just not sure how the apples would fare…? It sounds AMAZING, and cheap and easy!
Any substitution ideas for the kale?
This looks great. I might try it with sweet potatoes too! I love squash all year round. This fits my diet just right. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely try it.
this looks delicious. can you tell me what a serving size would be for this recipe? Thanks
Yummy…. thank you for sharing recipe. I will definitely try this one.
Ohh h can’t wait to try this…..
You know, this is a “classed up” version of my mom’s garden skillet. She put everything in the skillet from the garden, including tomatoes, corn cut from the cob, zuchinni, onions…..then tossed in some rice and slapped the lid on. She topped it with shredded cheese and served when melty. HAVE MERCY! we were farmers…so of course we had browned ground pork, too. I’m excited to try your version! Looks fantastic!
So versatile. I used beet greens and brown rice from the freezer. Fresh squash and didn’t need the extra milk or butter.
I’m not sure the kind of apple was living in the fridge, but so crisp and added a nice sweet crunch.
My non-squash eating husband said it was ‘OK’… high praise indeed and he ate a se rvingwith dinner.
So good. Thank you!!!
I used farro instead of rice, have cecliac disease, cook farro in veggie stock, was great
I use carro instead of rice, I have cecliac disease, the farro was great cook it with some veggie stock
I made this tonight and oh my gosh I love it. I added a little extra cheese and it’s SO GOOD. I also sprinkled on a handful of sunflower seeds. I recommend this to anyone who loves veggies and fall and yummy healthy yet light dinners! Thank you!
This graced our table at Christmas dinner and was such a hit! It’s the perfect side dish: light and flavorful without being too overwhelming. I love squash but rarely cook with it because it a)takes so long to cook and/or b) is a pain to chop up. But for special occasions it’s so worth it!
Personally, I didn’t care for this. I can’t quite pinpoint what I didn’t like about it, but the flavors were a little bland/weird for me. I think this would make a decent side dish in the fall but as a main dish it was not a hit for anyone in our home.
Thanks for the feedback, Gemma.
This was a great recipe! Made it for the family for dinner along with baked Chicken cutlets
Glad to hear that, Dianna!
can’t wait to try this with the leftover wild rice & squash from the cellar. What are your thoughts on leaving out the cheese (allergic to whey). Nanc from western MN (four miles from ND)
My husband and kids are squash haters. They did not get that from me. I made this with a rutabaga and it was a hit.
Fun to hear that Tricia! 🙂 Win!
This was fantastic! I had to veganize it for my allergies but still delicious. A nice mix of savory and sweet with the apples. I had a wild rice craving after visiting family in Wisconsin and this was perfect!
Glad to hear that! Thanks for the nice comment Katie!
I’m way behind the times, but I just made this for dinner with pork chops and it was amazing!
1. Who cares about squash when you are ROCKING that gorgeous dress?!
2. Frozen cubed squash… Does everyone else know that this exists? What a wonderful idea! I love squash, but triple-hate cutting it up. Where did you buy yours?
You are cute. Thanks friend. 🙂 And I actually cut mine up and froze it myself. #proud
Thanks for this! I’ve been trying to find ideas for my leftover cubed squash–perfect!
Can’t wait to try this one. I love squash but my hubby is one of those haters. His loss, all the more for me! Can’t wait to see your photos of Montana… <3 my home state!
It’s a beautiful place! I have wayyy too many pictures.