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Creamed Spinach and Wild Rice Casserole. A mix between your classic green bean casserole, a spinach soufflé, and a bowl of French onion soup. It’s not your traditional side, but it’s so delicious. Caramelized yellow onions with baby spinach (or use kale) in a cream sauce with fresh thyme and sage. Wild rice is then mixed in and the casserole is topped with Gruyère cheese. When baked together the creamed spinach and nutty wild rice create the perfect balance. The cheese just makes the casserole even yummier. Make this casserole ahead of time for an easy holiday side that everyone will love.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Medium, yellow onions
- Baby spinach/ chopped kale
- Sliced mushrooms
- Salt and black pepper
- Salted butter
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Fresh chopped sage
- Poultry seasoning
- Cayenne pepper
- Cream cheese
- Heavy cream
- Milk
- Cooked wild rice
- Shredded Gruyere cheese
Kitchen Supplies
- Large skillet
- Wooden cutting board
- 9×13 casserole dish
Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Not sure how we got to this point of the year already, but the holidays are here. The stores are filled with Christmas decorations, gifts, and toys. Turkeys, yams, and hams are everywhere. There’s a lot of rush-rush, stress, and excitement.
I love every minute of this season. Even with some of the stress, it’s fun having so much happening. So many things to share, cook, bake, eat, and hopefully enjoy. The holidays are magical in my eyes!
I’ve been enjoying sharing Thanksgiving dishes all week long. This is the last side dish I’m sharing before the Thanksgiving holiday and it’s such a yummy one! Next week I’ll focus on easy dinners and quick appetizers to share with our guests and family. Everyone will be arriving soon!
When it comes to Thanksgiving dishes, I grew up with the basics. Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes and rolls. My brothers and I never bothered with the green beans or any of that other “adult” food.
When we moved to Colorado I started cooking a lot of the Thanksgiving meal. I became a little more adventurous. I was baking popovers and roasting spaghetti squash. But truthfully, the green bean casserole has never been of interest to me.
So instead, one year I made a version of this wild rice casserole. Ever since that year, I’ve made it every Thanksgiving! It was inspired by the classic green bean casserole, but in reality, it’s pretty different
It’s loaded up with creamed spinach (or kale), wild rice, and plenty of melty cheese on top. It’s kind of a mix between a spinach soufflé and yummy French onion soup!
Here are the details
Step 1: caramelize the onions and cook the greens
Use sweet yellow onions and begin cooking them down until they are soft. Then add all of the spinach, or try using kale. Allow the greens to slowly cook along with the onions until they are wilted.
At this point, the onions should be pretty caramelized. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter, garlic, fresh thyme, sage, and poultry seasoning.
Step 2: add the cream
Next mix in the cream cheese, cream, and milk. Simmer the cream sauce until it thickens just a bit.
Then remove the creamed spinach from the heat.
Step 3: mix in the wild rice
Spread the cooked wild rice out and into a casserole dish. Pour the creamed spinach over the rice, gently mixing to combine. You can cook the wild rice at home or use precooked wild rice. Many stores like Trader Joe’s sell cooked, frozen wild rice. That works perfectly too!
Next, add the cheese. I love to use melty, sweet, and sharp Gruyère cheese. It’s a great cheese to pair with the onions and rice.
Step 4: bake
Bake the casserole until the cheese is melty and the edges begin to crisp.
It might seem simple, but that browned, golden top really adds another layer of deliciousness to the rice that makes everyone want more.
Serve this up warm with some fresh thyme for added color.
I’m excited to share this recipe with not only you but family and friends as well. This is one of my mom’s favorite sides.
The next question is, what will you be pairing this casserole with? The obvious answer for Thanksgiving is turkey. But come December, over here it will be the pot roast I can’t stop making it.
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving sides?? Here are my favorites:
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks
Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Lastly, if you make this Creamed Spinach and Wild Rice Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Do you rinse wild rice before cooking? How do you cook wild rice?
Yes, it’s always a good practice to rinse any kind of rice before cooking. This removed any impurities and any particles outside of the grain. You can boil and steam rice to cook it or use a rice maker, such as the Zojirushi rice maker.
Creamed Spinach and Wild Rice Casserole
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 612 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4-5 cups baby spinach/chopped kale
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (optional)
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 4 cups cooked wild rice
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the olive oil and onions until the onions are soft, 5 minutes. Add the spinach and or kale (I like to use a mix), and mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the spinach is wilted, another 10 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, sage, poultry seasoning, and cayenne.3. Reduce the heat to low. Mix in the cream cheese, stirring until melted. Add the cream and milk. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit, then remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Spread the wild rice out into a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Pour the spinach and cream sauce over the rice, gently mixing to combine. Top the casserole with Gruyère cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling on top. Serve with sea salt on top!
This post was originally published on November 17, 2023
I would like to reduce the fat content a tad bit. Any recommendations?
Hi Diane,
You could use all milk in place of the heavy cream, use a low fat cream cheese, and reduce the cheese on the top. I hope this helps!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was great! I recommend using really good quality wild rice blend, which is what I did, for best results. Next time I will use the photos as a guide and put the cheese in the middle so that some of the rice can show through. All my guests loved it! A tasty alternate to stuffing.
Hi Tony,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
So looking forward to trying this! What would be your optimal make-ahead strategy for this? I have to leave my house Tuesday night and would love to do anything possible in my own kitchen! You’ve been a part of our holidays for several years now, I always look forward to the Thanksgiving menu.
Thank you so much, Michelle!! You can fully make this on Wednesday and then just reheat on Thursday for serving. Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Can i use normal long grain rice or a mix of brown/red rice for this if I can’t find wild rice?
Hi Franny,
Sure, that should work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Friday! xx
If I used regular wild rice (from Whole Foods, for example), what changes should I make?
Hi Brooke,
I would keep the recipe as is:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Greetings from the plains of central Montana! I am hosting a Bourbon Pairing dinner party for eight (8) the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. My entree is individual 6 oz Beef Wellingtons. This make ahead Creamed Spinach and Wild Rice bake with Gruyere will be the perfect compliment to the Wellington and a 10 yr old, nutmeg forward savory Elijah Craig Barrel Proof or Eagle Rare 10 yr old bourbon. Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving menu today!
Thanks so much, Tammie! I hope you love this recipe, sounds like so much fun! Happy November! xT
I make this ALL the time! such a crowd pleaser. Strongly reco!
Hey Mandi,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish so often and your comment! I love to hear that it always turns out well for you! Xx
Hi! My family absolutely LOVED your original recipe for kale and wild rice casserole. I have made it so many times, I think I have a good idea of the ingredients and amounts but it has been a while since I have made it. Would you mind sharing the original recipe so I can write it in my family cook book, please? P.S. I do plan on trying this new version, but for Easter my family is insisting on the original version. Thank you!
Thanks so much for your kind message Kristina!! So sorry, unfortunately, I no longer have the old version of this recipe. I prefer this updated version, so let me know how it turns out for you! xT
Can you make this without mushrooms?
Hi Toya,
Totally fine for you to skip the mushrooms:) I hope you love this dish! Xx
What is the best way to add chicken to this recipe?
Hi Susan,
I would add cooked chicken to step 4. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
We made this recipe last night and it’s SPECTACULAR! The combination of tastes + seasonings is perfection. I would not change a thing! I even just snuck a tiny bit for breakfast! Cannot wait to make this again! Thank you for sharing your thoughtful recipes, Tieghan!
Hi Sara! I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out! xT
We had this as part of Christmas dinner. It was delicious. I used about a 3:1 ratio of baby spinach to curly kale. Using a mix of the two works well.
Hi! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! 🙂 xT
Can you make this ahead and put in the oven the day of?
Hey Amy! I haven’t tried that personally so I can’t say for sure, but let me know if you give it a try! xT
I made it the night before and then refrigerated it. When I baked it the next day I added 10 minutes to the bake where it was covered in foil. At the end of the bake I dabbed oil off the top and then broiled it for 1-2 minutes. It turned out great.
Hey Katy,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love that it was enjoyed! xT
This recipe is fabulous. We loved it. The flavors were awesome. In fact, I think I’m going to use this filling for crepes I’m making for a Christmas party.
Thank you so so much! Sooo glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂 xT
This recipe just became our favorite!!!! Thank you!!! I only made half, I didn’t have cream but I did have half and half so I just used a cup of that instead of milk. It turned out amazing!!! My husband doesn’t get too excited about too many recipes, he loves it! We decided to serve this recipe with our family during the holidays! We’ve already discussed several different meat options it will be delicious with! Tonight, we had it with grilled pork chops.
Hi Barbara! Thank you so so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
The recipes you create look so delicious, I have to try this one.
Thanks so much! xT