I feel like rice is forever in style as far as dinner goes. White rice, steamed jasmine rice, brown rice…take your pick. Everyone has their go-to favorite on the table every week. But for fall this year, I switched gears for a second from the standard steamed white rice and did a lovely wild rice blend dotted with chunks of roasted butternut squash, toasted pecans and cranberries. This easy butternut squash and pecan wild rice makes a comforting rice dish sprinkled with with lots of goodies for a tasty bite of simple fall flavor.

wild rice with roasted butternut squash and pecans

This satisfying autumn-inspired rice mix is tossed with roasted butternut squash that’s flavored with a little allspice and nutmeg. A sprinkling of dried cranberries give this savory dish a light sweet note and some texture as well.

wild rice with butternut squash cranberries and pecans

The addition of lightly toasted pecans pairs really well with wild rice and gives it a delicious nutty flavor that goes well with the butternut squash. Pecans also add a little bit of crunch to the textures happening in this wild rice rice dish.

Peel and Prep Butternut Squash For Wild Rice Mix

It’s pretty easy to put this together and once you have all the elements ready to go, it’s pretty much just toss n’ serve.

You’ll want to start by peeling a butternut squash and taking the seeds out. I found the easiest way for me was using a vegetable peeler. Easy and pretty fast.

Roast Butternut Squash On A Baking Sheet

Once you get the squash prepped, cube it into about 1 inch cubes and transfer it to a baking sheet. Toss with good fruity olive oil, coarse salt, ground pepper, and a dash of nutmeg and allspice. Roast it in a 400 degree oven until just barely able to be pierced with a fork. About 25 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven. You’ll want the squash firm enough to hold its shape when stirred in with rice but still soft enough to bite right in. They will roast up beautifully drizzled in olive oil and bring a subtle spiced note to the rice with hints of allspice and nutmeg.

Prepare Wild Rice

While the squash gets golden and delicious with the spices, prepare your wild rice according to package directions. Wild rice is naturally very textural and has a little more substance and chewiness to it than plain rice.

Mine was a mix of brown, red, and wild rices that I steamed in the pot with a little water, butter, and salt. It’s done in about 15 minutes and sits for about 5 extra minutes before you fluff it with a fork and that’s it! It’s good to go.

cranberries and pecans for wild rice side dish

Once the rice is steamed up and fluffed, transfer it to a large bowl. Take the now tender roasted butternut squash and add it to the rice in the bowl. I added just about half of the butternut squash to the rice and then set some aside to dot the top of the rice with once I transferred it to a platter. You could just easily pour it all into the rice and serve! It’s great either way. Now set the bowl aside and grab some whole pecans and toast them in a small pan.

Toast Pecans

While the pecans toast, they will become slightly fragrant and if you pick one up and bite into it, it should have a nice little crunch to it when you bite it. They usually toast up fast in about 2 or 3 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they will burn if you walk away and leave them too long. They need only a short while to toast up.

wild rice and butternut squash with pecans and cranberries

Coarsely chop the pecans and sprinkle them into the rice mix with the squash. Reserve some whole pecans for garnishing on top if desired or chop all of them and garnish with sprinkled chopped pecans.

Sprinkle Dried Cranberries Over Wild Rice and Squash

Lastly, sprinkle in the dried cranberries and gently stir everything together until just barely combined. Transfer to a serving platter or bowl and garnish with extra pecans and cranberries over the top.

wild rice with butterfish squash, cranberries, pecans

This roasted butternut squash and wild rice side dish is healthy and delicious with an awesome medley of textures…a chewiness and sweetness from the dried pecans and the wild rice, a silky soft bite from the roasted squash, and a little nutty crunch from the toasted pecans.

All of these combine together to turn rice into a comforting and delicious mix of fall flavors!

Serve this with an herb-roasted chicken or roasted turkey meat. It makes a festive and seasonal holiday side dish that is versatile, elegant, healthy, and delicious!

Wanna end things on a sweet note? Check out these lovely holiday poached pears!

Wild Rice With Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and Pecans

Name: Wild Rice With Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and Pecans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 Butternut Squash (cubed and roasted); 1 cup Wild Rice Blend (prepared to package directions, I used Royal Rice Blend wild rice.); 1/3 cup Toasted Pecans (chopped); Good Fruity Olive Oil; 1 tsp Coarse Sea Salt; 1 tsp Ground Pepper; 1/2 tsp Allspice; 1/4 tsp Nutmeg; 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries (or more, if desired, for tossing in with rice)

Fresh steamed wild rice tossed with roasted butternut squash, toasted pecans, and cranberries makes the perfect side for your tasty fall dishes.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

COURSE Side Dish

CUISINE American

SERVINGS

Equipment

Pot for steaming rice

Baking sheet lined with baking mat

Vegetable peeler

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash - cubed and roasted
1 cup Wild Rice Blend - prepared to package directions, I used Royal Rice Blend wild rice.
1/3 cup Toasted Pecans - chopped
Good Fruity Olive Oil
1 tsp Coarse Sea Salt
1 tsp Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/3 cup Dried Cranberries - or more, if desired, for tossing in with rice

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Prep your squash while the oven heats. With a vegetable peeler, peel the butternut squash, halve it, and remove the seeds. Cube the butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.
Spread cubed squash onto a baking sheet lined with a baking mat and toss cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Bake squash in a 400 degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes until just soft enough to pierce.
While squash is roasting, prepare the wild rice according to package directions. My brand came with instructions as follows: [Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp butter or olive oil. Stir in 1 cup wild rice, cover with lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff and serve.]
When finished steaming remove rice from heat and pour into a large bowl. When the butternut squash is finished roasting, add about half of it to the bowl with the rice.
In a small skillet, lightly toast whole pecans for 2 to 3 minutes and give them a rough chop.
Add pecans to the bowl with squash and rice and toss in the dried cranberries. Toss with a spoon until everything is combined and transfer to a serving platter. Take the remaining cubes of squash and place them on top dotting the rice platter with the extra squash. If you have any extra, place it in a separate bowl on the table or line the side of your platter with it.
Serve alongside roasted chicken or turkey with cranberry sauce.

Notes

For my wild rice, I used Royal Blend which is a mix of Texmati rice, white rice, wild rice, brown rice, and red rice.

KEYWORD thanksgiving recipes, christmas recipes, holiday recipes, fall recipes, wild rice, butternut squash, pecans, cranberries, roasted squash and wild rice, fall dishes, fall food, thanksgiving sides, holiday recipes, comfort food

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Easy Butternut Squash & Pecan Wild Rice