Pumpkin Rice with Fall Vegetables
This creamy pumpkin rice recipe includes roasted cauliflower, sautéed zucchini and red onion. Made with wild rice, canned pumpkin puree and a little parmesan to make it creamy, this exquisite Fall side dish will impress every guest at Thanksgiving or the Halloween dinner party!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 470kcal
Equipment
- 1 cutting board with sharp knife
- 1 32 ounce pot
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 foil-lined baking sheet
- 1 sauté pan
Ingredients
- 8 oz. wild rice
- 1¾ cups vegetable broth - check your broth amount for 8 oz. rice, as it may differ from mine
- 4 oz. pumpkin puree
- 1 cup red onion - diced (about 1 medium onion)
- 2 cups cauliflower florets - sliced (about half a small cauliflower)
- 1 zucchini - sliced into ¾ths-inch quarters
- ½ cup parmesan - freshly grated
- 1 tsp. honey
- 5 tbsp. olive oil - divided
- cinnamon - a tiny sprinkle
- nutmeg - a tiny sprinkle
- ¼ tsp. salt - and a little for sprinkling on vegetables
- pepper - a good sprinkle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. (215 C.). Bring 1¾ cups vegetable broth to a boil (double check the directions on your rice for broth amount for 8 oz. rice). Add 8 oz. wild rice and reduce to a simmer. Add 4 oz. pumpkin puree, 1 tsp. honey, a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon, a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg, and ¼ tsp. salt. Give it a stir, place a lid on top and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Check your rice directions for cook time, as it may differ from mine).
- Add 2 cups sliced cauliflower florets to a mixing bowl with 3 tbsp. olive oil and a nice sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir until coated.
- Lay cauliflower onto a foil-lined baking sheet, flat side down, and roast for 20 minutes. You’ll find gorgeous roasted bottoms once finished if you place them flat, sliced side down.
- While cauliflower roasts, and rice simmers, add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a sauté pan with 1 cup sliced zucchini. Turn heat to MEDIUM-HIGH, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and don’t move it for 3-4 minutes, until one side is nice and brown. Flip, and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Set aside.
- Add 1 more tbsp. olive oil to the pan, and sauté 1 cup diced red onions for 5-7 minutes, until lightly brown. Remove into a bowl with zucchini.
- Once cauliflower is finished, remove into bowl with zucchini and onions. Once rice is finished, add ½ cup freshly grated parmesan and stir.
- Carefully fold in cooked vegetables, sprinkle with fresh pepper and serve.
Notes
This recipe will stay fresh and delicious for at least 4 days when refrigerated in a sealed container.
To reheat, place in an oven-safe bowl or dish and bake at 350 F. (175 C.) for 20 minutes.
Watch your zucchini carefully. It can go from perfect to mushy in a span of about 2 minutes. Once one side is brown, flip and just give it 2-3 minutes more.
You may want to check your cauliflower after 15 minutes to see if it’s already roasted on the bottoms. Every oven is different, and if yours seems to run “hotter,” it may take only 15 minutes. Not 20.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 5ounces | Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 757mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4838IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 196mg | Iron: 2mg