Butternut Squash Wild Rice Pilaf with Pomegranate Seeds

This elegant butternut squash wild rice with walnuts and pomegranate seeds is the perfect vegetarian main or side dish for Thanksgiving or Rosh Hashana.

Gluten free and vibrant in its colors, this harvest rice dish represents the best of the fall season!

Jump to:

• Ingredient spotlight: Wild Rice
• When to serve wild rice pilaf?
• Why you should make this butternut squash wild rice
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Storage
• Tips for making this easy wild rice recipe
• Adaptations & substitutions
• Variations
• Pin for Later!
• Recipe

Ingredient spotlight: Wild Rice

The grain of choice for this squash and rice recipe is wild rice. I buy a blend of wild rice with brown long grain, but any wild rice blend you can find in your local grocery store will do.

So first off, newsflash: wild rice is actually a grass! It is native to North America, and specifically the Great Lakes region.

What to do with wild rice

Wild rice has a nutty flavor and a firm, chewy texture that makes it a perfect pairing for stuffing, burgers, or a topping for soups. I love using it in this wild rice pilaf, where it sings against the creamy roasted butternut squash and the juicy pomegranate seeds!

Typically, people don't eat wild rice on its own, and it's mostly sold blended with other white rice types. Try this wild rice blend from Amazon if you've never had one before. I really like the combination of black, brown, red, and wild rice!

How to cook wild rice?

Wild rice expands greatly when cooked with water. Cook it in a typical 2:1 ration of water to wild rice, but expect that it will triple in size - one cup of raw wild rice will yield 3 cups of cooked wild rice.

Wild rice takes longer to cook than regular rice, and even brown rice. Expect wild rice to take at least 30 minutes to cook, and even longer.

When to serve wild rice pilaf?

I serve this harvest rice pilaf for most harvest-time celebrations: Rosh Hashana, Sukkot and Thanksgiving. But you can also serve this anytime in the fall or winter.

Wild Rice With Pomegranate for Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year, and one the High Holidays in the Jewish calendar.

Eating sweeter foods on Rosh Hashanah is thought to bring about a year of good fortune and sweetness. In fact, some people avoid eating any vinegar or even lemon around Rosh Hashanah, to not harm that sweetness!

There are also a few symbolic foods that one is supposed to eat for the festival. One of them is incorporated into this wild rice pilaf in two forms: pomegranate seeds and pomegranate molasses.

Pomegranate seeds are considered omens for a year of plenty. More specifically, it is thought that pomegranates have 613 seeds, which is the same number as the Jewish mitzvot, or duties. I'd like to know who counted all those seeds!

Whether you use all 613 pomegranate seeds in your pomegranate wild rice, it is going to be a delicious Rosh Hashanah side dish.

For more wonderful rice recipes, try my easy vegetarian pilaf recipe or my 1-pot pomegranate chicken and rice recipe.

For more Rosh Hashana recipes:

Harvest Wild Rice makes a perfect Thanksiving side dish

Thanksgiving recipes are all about comforting fall recipes - and this butternut squash wild rice pilaf combines so many of our favorite fall flavors!

You start with orange butternut squash, which becomes perfectly creamy and sweet from the roasting. It's hard to image a more native vegetable to North America!

Add to that some caramelized purple onions and crunchy, luxurious walnuts, all sauteed in pomegranate molasses (you can also use balsamic vinegar).

Mix with wild rice and long grain rice, which harken directly back to the soil and North American rice harvests.

Finally, the addition of mint adds a fresh, lively element that really freshens this fall rice pilaf.

The honey vinaigrette brightens the whole dish. In the end, you end up with a great Thanksgiving wild rice recipe!

For more Thanksgiving recipes:

Why you should make this butternut squash wild rice

This wild rice with butternut squash can be made for Rosh Hashanah or just because, but I am sure you are going to love it. This rice pilaf is:

• Elegant
• Beautiful to look at - just look at all those colors!
• Full of various textures - crunchy walnuts, juicy pomegranate arils, creamy roasted butternut squash, sweet caramelized onions and wild rice provide for endless textural variety!
• Perfect for fall
• Great side dish for Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot
• Easy
• Quick to assemble
• Can be made in advance - you can keep the components separate or just put it all together and reheat for serving
• Can be served hot or in room temperature

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you'll need to make this fall-ready butternut squash wild rice:

• butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• salt
• pepper
• oil
• wild rice blend
• water
• bay leaf
• purple onions, sliced
• walnuts, chopped
• pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• honey
• fresh mint leaves, diced finely
• pomegranate seeds

See recipe card for quantities.

Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper or reusable silicone mat
• Spatula
• Saucepan
• Non-stick pan
• Large bowl
• Serving platter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.

Roast butternut squash

Transfer cubed butternut squash to baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

Roast in 450 F oven for 35 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender and browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Cook wild rice

While squash is baking, prepare rice: combine wild rice blend, water and bay leaf in a saucepan. Cook according to package instructions (wild rice takes long to cook - about 45-50 mins).

Saute onions and walnuts

Preheat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add purple onion slices, and cook for 5 minutes. Add walnuts and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Optional: add pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar, and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make honey vinaigrette

Mix dressing: combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and honey in a jar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Shake to emulsify.

Mix wild rice pilaf

In a large bowl, combine wild rice, roasted butternut squash, onions, nuts and diced mint. Season with dressing and stir well to combine.

Transfer butternut squash wild rice mixture to serving platter. Top with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Storage

Leftover wild rice pilaf will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

All the components can also be prepared in advance and kept separately, or assembled for the flavors to blend. In that case, I would recommend withholding the pomegranate seeds and fresh mint, and only adding them to the squash and rice in the last minute.

Tips for making this easy wild rice recipe

• Prepare the butternut squash, wild rice and sautéed onions in advance. You can then combine them all with the dressing, but add the mint and pomegranate seeds at the last minute for extra freshness!
• Try this dish in room temperature, or hot. I like it hot if it's meant to be a vegetarian main, but it also works really well as a wild rice butternut squash salad if served cold.
• Try adding feta for a special, creamy and tangy touch!

Adaptations & substitutions

This wild rice pilaf is naturally gluten-free. Try the following adaptations and substitutions to change it up:

• You can use olive oil or coconut oil to roast the squash and saute the onions. Each will add a different flavor to the dish!
• For a vegan wild rice pilaf, substitute the honey for maple syrup or silan date syrup (I like the Just Date Syrup brand).
• Make this into a cauliflower rice pilaf by mixing your favourite brand of cauliflower rice with the other ingredients. You can also omit the honey from the vinaigrette. This will make the dish paleo and Whole 30.

Variations

Use the following tips for changing the flavor of this wild rice pilaf:

• Coconut Wild Rice Pilaf - use coconut oil when roasting the squash and sautéing the purple onions. Then, you can also add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut to the final mix.
• Maple vinaigrette - switch the honey in the vinaigrette for maple syrup for a more Canadian flavor.
• Wild rice pilaf with feta - sprinkle ½ cup of crumbled feta on top of the finished dish for a dose of tangy, salty flavor.

See the butternut squash wild rice pilaf story for detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make this beautiful side dish.

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