Peppercorn Harvest Wild Rice Casserole
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Casserole
We think this recipe by Smitten Kitchen is the ideal vehicle for our savory Peppercorn Harvest Specialty Cheddar.
We tweaked the process a little so that we could use our Instant Pot to cook the onions and wild rice. After the rice was cooked at 12 minutes (manual, high pressure, quick release), we tossed in our broccoli, put the lid back on and let it sit while we made the super simple cheese sauce. The broccoli ended up perfect - slightly crisp, which is our preference!
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, diced
Salt
1 cup uncooked wild rice blend, rinsed
1 pound broccoli
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard powder or 1/2 teaspoon smooth Dijon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups Peppercorn Harvest Cheddar, coarsely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. When hot, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Once melted, add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice to onion and let cook for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and a few pinches of salt. Set instant pot to manual high pressure and cook for 12 minutes. Use quick release. Remove the lid, add broccoli, and replace lid. Let sit while you make the sauce.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the mustard powder (if using), a pinch of cayenne and garlic and let sizzle for 1 minute. Add flour and whisk until combined, cooking the butter-flour mixture for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly, then broth. Bring to a simmer and cook mixture at a simmer, stirring the whole time, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in smooth Dijon mustard if you didn’t use mustard powder.
Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/3 of grated cheese until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Transfer cooked wild rice blend and broccoli to a 2-quart baking dish or a 9-inch oven-safe skillet. Pour cheese sauce over and gently nudge to ensure all pieces get some sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake casserole for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly, then run mixture under the broiler until cheese is toasty on top.