Roasted Beet Wild Rice
on Nov 19, 2020, Updated Dec 14, 2021
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With fresh herbs, nuts & Dijon vinaigrette, this roasted beet wild rice is a simple, healthy vegan side that makes the most of multitasking.
After 16 years, our oven called it quits and our other appliances were giving us all the signs that they were about to give out.
Buying new kitchen appliances was not on my purchase list, but unfortunately, we didn’t have a choice.
In my ideal world, new appliances would have come as part of a kitchen renovation. For now, my inspiration images will continue to live on a Pinterest board
More than anything, I am very grateful we were able to handle this unexpected expense. With most home repairs, things come completely out of nowhere.
It can really throw you off!
Even though the appliances may not involve my full dream kitchen, I am still enjoying them.
I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a fridge that doesn’t freeze things in the bottom third.
It’s the little things!
With all this newfound space, I have been able to actually see what I have in the refrigerator, which has been great for my weekly veggie box.
I am sure that I would have lost track of 2 bunches of beets if they were crammed in the back of the old fridge.
Instead, I saw them in time to roast them at their best.
Beets are a root vegetable that you can use in lots of different ways.
They have a distinct earthy flavor but manage to be mellow.
I eat them with greens in a roasted beet orange kale salad. Beets are great with citrus.
Another classic pairing with beets is goat cheese. Try them in a fancy grilled cheese.
I will even roast thinly sliced beets for oven-baked beet chips.
Beets also make a good grain side mixed with fresh herbs and vinaigrette.
For this roasted beet wild rice, you can serve it warm or at room temperature.
And leftovers are tasty cold from the fridge!
How To Make Roasted Beet Wild Rice
This recipe lends itself to multitasking.
While one component is cooking you can work on the other two.
I like to think of it as 3 parts:
- Beets
- Rice
- Vinaigrette
The first step is to roast the beets. I prefer using a mix of red and golden beets for color.
To roast them, just drizzle the beets with olive oil, salt and pepper and tuck them into loose foil packets.
Then put the beets on a sheet pan and roast at 400 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until you can easily pierce them with a knife.
Open the packets and give the beets a few minutes to cool. After that, use towels to rub off the skin and dice the beets.
While the beets are roasting in the oven, you can make the wild rice on the stovetop.
In the ultimate act of multitasking, its easy to whisk together the vinaigrette while the beets are roasting, and the rice is simmering.
The vinaigrette is a combination of Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, olive oil salt and pepper.
Then I use a large bowl to put everything together.
No surprise, the more your stir the beets, the more they will stain the rice.
Because of that, I start with the rice, vinaigrette, parsley and chopped pecans.
Finally, I fold the beets slowly into the rice.
I don’t mind some color transfer in this roasted beet wild rice.
But no worries if yours turns out fuchsia!
Roasted Beet Wild Rice
Ingredients
- For beets
- 1-1/2 pounds beets greens removed
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- For rice
- 1 cup wild rice
- 4 cups water
- For Dijon vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- For serving
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place each beet on an individual sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold into loose packets and place on a sheet pan. Roast the beets for 45-50 minutes until they are easily pierced with a knife.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to rub off the skin. Then dice the beets.
- While the beets are roasting, make the wild rice on the stove. Rinse the rice with cold water in a fine mesh strainer.
- Place the rice and water in a large saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Check the doneness of the rice. The grains should be cooked but still chewy. (Also refer to the package instructions for recommended cook time).
- Drain any remaining liquid from the saucepan. Let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk together the Dijon, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Stir the vinaigrette into the wild rice with the pecans and parsley.
- Slowly fold in the beets until they are just evenly distributed through the rice. The more you stir the beets with the rice, the more the beets will stain the rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a fantastic way to include beets! My grandmother used to do a very simple little recipe but this is a great way to kick it up a notch!
Wondering if this would be good cold? I have some cooked beets from Trader Joes in my fridge but seems like serving temp might make a difference?
You can definitely turn this into a wild rice salad and serve it cold or at room temperature. I recommend cooking the rice in advance. Let it cool to room temperature. At that point you can store it in the fridge, so then the rice and beets will both be fridge cold. When you stir everything together, you can also add a few handfuls of baby arugula.