Mushroom Rice Casserole
Ingredients
2¼ cups vegetable broth
1¼ cups wild rice, rinsed
10 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1 pound sliced mushrooms, ideally different kinds
3 leeks, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, chopped
1 package baby spinach (~4 cups)
7 garlic cloves (4 chopped and 3 finely grated)
½ Tbsp tomato paste
⅛ Tsp red pepper flakes
4 (14-ounce) cans white beans (7 cups)
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro and or basil
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
2½ cups panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Cook rice according to package instructions, set aside.
In a cast iron skillet, heat 3 Tbsp oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer cooked mushrooms to a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt.
In the skillet, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Stir in leeks, fennel and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in spinach, chopped garlic, tomato paste and red pepper flakes, and cook until garlic starts turning golden, another 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Heat oven to 400 degrees, and oil a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.
In a blender, purée 2 cans beans with their liquid, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 grated garlic clove, and salt to taste. (If your beans are unsalted, they might need more than you’d think.)
Stir bean purée, remaining whole beans (drained), mushrooms, cilantro, parsley and cooked wild rice into skillet with vegetables. Taste and add more salt or lemon as needed; it should be well seasoned. Scrape into prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, rosemary, lemon zest, remaining 2 grated garlic cloves and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in ¼ cup olive oil and Parmesan, if using.
Sprinkle evenly on top of casserole and bake until golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving, topped with flaky sea salt.
Adopted by NYT Cooking
