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Milwaukee transplant Erin Clarke’s cooking weblog, Nicely Plated by Erin (wellplated.com), is replete with easy-to-follow, affordable- to-make recipes for traditional consolation delicacies, however with a catch. As an alternative of the standard gobs of heavy components, Clarke lightens up the dishes with out sacrificing taste.
The Wichita, Kansas, native, who attracts inspiration from her grandmothers’ cooking, began running a blog 10 years in the past. Her very first publish, a inexperienced chile hen recipe, hit the blogosphere with a bang, convincing her to maintain cooking and writing. Clarke has snagged followers – she says her website will get about 10 million web page views monthly – together with her recipes for issues like home made Hamburger Helper, hen stroganoff and one-skillet butternut squash gnocchi with Italian sausage. Whereas her aim is to clean up beloved originals, she doesn’t go overboard.
“I keep true to the unique,” she says. A 12 months in the past, Clarke launched The Nicely Plated Cookbook, a compendium of over 130 recipes for quick, wholesome classics.
Butternut Squash, Hen, and Wild Rice Casserole
If a harvest-scented candle and an outsized fuzzy blanket obtained collectively to prepare dinner dinner, they’d make this Butternut Squash, Hen, and Wild Rice Casserole. It’s the essence of cozy, manifested as a wholesome dinner, with a bounty of fabulous components for fall and winter cooking: nutty wild rice, golden butternut squash, tangy dried cranberries, earthy thyme, and savory Parmesan. Right here, the quintessential casserole “Throw all of it in a baking dish and see what occurs!” laissez- faire doesn’t merely work, it triumphs. As you stir the totally different elements collectively, it’d seem to be the casserole gained’t be creamy sufficient, however worry not. The Parmesan holds all of it collectively.
This recipe is courtesy of Erin Clark, a meals author, creator and creator of the web site Well Plated by Erin.
Energetic time: 1 hour | Whole time: 1 hour and half-hour | Yield: Serves 6
Components:
- 1 cup raw wild- and- brown- rice mix
- 1½ kilos boneless, skinless hen thighs, trimmed of extra fats
- 4 tablespoons further virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon floor black pepper, divided
- 1 small butternut squash (about 1½ kilos)
- 1 medium yellow onion, minimize into ¼- inch cube (about 1½ cups)
- 1 tablespoon chopped contemporary thyme, plus further for garnish
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces), divided
- ½ cup roughly chopped uncooked pecans or walnuts
Directions:
- Prepare dinner the rice in keeping with the bundle directions. Drain off any extra cooking liquid and put aside (you need to have about 3 cooked cups).
- Place a rack within the heart of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 levels F. For straightforward cleanup, lay a big piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper within the backside of a 9×13- inch baking dish. Prepare the hen thighs in a single layer on high, tucking the unfastened aspect portion of every thigh beneath. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bake on the middle rack of the oven till the hen thighs attain 165 levels F on an instant- learn thermometer on the thickest half, about 20 minutes. Instantly switch from the dish to a plate and canopy. Let relaxation 10 minutes. Cut back the oven temperature to 350 levels F. Discard the foil or parchment and hold the pan helpful.
- Whereas the hen cooks, peel the butternut squash and trim off the highest and backside ends. Reduce the neck away from the spherical base, then stand the bottom up on its flat finish and minimize it in half from high to backside. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Reduce the squash (each base and neck) into ½- inch cubes (you need to have about 4 cups cubes).
- In a big, deep skillet with a tight- fitting lid, warmth the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium warmth. Add the squash, onion, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sauté till the onion begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Cowl and prepare dinner, stirring often, till the squash is tender however nonetheless retains some chew, 6 to eight minutes.
- As soon as the hen has rested, minimize it into bite- sized items. Add it to the pan with the squash, then add the thyme, cranberries, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, and the rice. Stir to mix.
- Flippantly coat with nonstick spray the identical 9×13- inch dish you used to bake the hen (no want to clean it in between). With a big spoon, scoop the squash and rice combination into the dish, spreading it into an excellent layer.
- Bake for quarter-hour, then take away the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the nuts and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan on high. Bake 8 to 10 further minutes, till the cheese is melted and the nuts are toasted and crisp. Sprinkle with further chopped contemporary thyme and serve heat.
Make Forward Storage Ideas:
- For even quicker dinner prep: Put together the rice as much as 2 days prematurely (or make it in huge batches and freeze particular person parts for as much as 3 months). The hen and butternut squash will be cooked as much as 1 day prematurely. It’s also possible to swap the hen thighs for 4 cups of shredded rotisserie hen.
- Your entire casserole will be assembled by step 6 and saved within the fridge, unbaked, for as much as 1 day. Let come to room temperature, then bake as directed.
- To freeze: Bake the casserole utterly, then let cool to room temperature. Cowl it tightly, then freeze for as much as 3 months. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge, deliver to room temperature, then cowl with foil and reheat in a 350- degree- F oven till warmed by. Make sure to use a pan that’s freezer and oven protected.
Subsequent Degree:
- For further decadence, in step 5, stir ½ to 1 cup of shredded Gruyère or fontina cheese into the filling with the Parmesan.
Market Swaps:
- Make It Meatless: Swap the hen for two (15- ounce) cans of rinsed- and- drained lowered sodium white beans, comparable to nice Northern or cannellini beans. Add the beans to the squash in step 5.
