Wild Rice Pilaf is a delicious and cozy Autumn meal. You can make this as a side dish for the holiday main course or serve it alongside a simple weeknight dinner. The recipe features pecans, dried cranberries, and is gluten-free, packed with protein, and fiber!
Rinse wild rice really well. Add 1 cup of wild rice and 3 cups of water to a large saucepan. Bring to boil and cook according to the package instructions, which usually means 45 minutes.
While the rice cooks, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add crumbled Italian sausage, Italian seasoning, and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes until the sausage is cooked through.
Add diced (or, even better, shredded) carrots to the skillet with sausage, ½ cup chicken broth (maximum ¾ cup - depending on the size of your skillet), bring to a low simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes until the carrots are soft.
There shouldn't be much extra liquid left after simmering for 10 minutes, but if there is a small amount - that's OK, it will be absorbed when you add cooked wild rice (which is usually dry).
Add dried cranberries and cook for 2 more minutes. Cranberries will absorb some of the liquid which will plump them up.
When the wild rice is cooked, add cooked wild rice (drained of any water) to the skillet with the sausage mixture and toss to combine.
Stir in chopped pecans, fresh thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped green onions.