Wild Rice Bowls With Roasted Vegetables
What makes this wild rice bowl so good? The flavor combo!
Rice bowls and power bowls have been popular for a few years now. There are recipes all over the internet and even restaurants that feature rice bowls as the main attraction. This one in particular uses wild rice. I actually like a wild rice blend that has some other rices as well. I like the texture of the blend and I feel like it takes seasoning really well. A straight black wild rice, while still very good, just doesn’t have the same complexity and pizzaz. It has also been debated that wild rice is healthier. Most of them are really seeds. Wild rices have more protein and slightly less carbs than regular rice.
This is my favorite blend. Not sponsored, I just like it. But hey, Lundberg, feel free to reach out to me. ;). Trader Joes also has a good one, when it’s in stock.
What to put in rice bowls:
That’s really up to you. You can use any combination of vegetables, meat, etc… They usually have some sort of dressing on top as well. This one has an orange honey dressing.
My personal rice bowl recipes tend to reflect seasonal eating. Right now it’s late spring but I make this every fall. It has roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, delicata squash, and quick pickled red onion.
The best way (according to me) to cook the wild rice:
If you’ve ever made wild rice before you might not be enamored anymore after babysitting it on the stove for 45 minutes. Never fear! The InstantPot is here! (again, not sponsored). I use the rice to water ratio on my bag of rice and I cook it 28 minutes and quick release. No babysitting, no boil overs, no standing on your feet too long stirring it. You can use this time to get the vegetables in the oven and the laundry swapped over to the dryer.
Quick tip – Pickled red onion
I use pickled red onion on these and it adds sooooo much to the dish. If you don’t have the pickled onions sitting around, that’s ok, they’re fast and easy to make. Just use a glass liquid measuring cup to measure out 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar. Straight into the measure cup add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Put it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. You don’t want to make it hot, just warm enough to dissolve the sugar and salt easier. While that’s in the microwave, thinly slice 1 small red onion, then add it to the vinegar mixture and put the whole thing in fridge until you make your bowls. You can also transfer them to a jar if you need the measuring cup. Just make sure the onions are mostly covered.
How to make these healthy and delicious bowls:
The order of events I find most efficient flows as follows:
-If I haven’t already made the pickled onions for something else (like tacos or salad) then I get those started and put in the fridge.
-Then I throw the wild rice into the Instant Pot.
-Then I preheat the oven and start getting the vegetables chopped. Important side note here: I cut the sweet potatoes into about 1/2″ cubes. These are the most dense vegetable so they’ll take longer to cook. By cutting them smaller, they cook faster, which means I can put all the veggies in the oven together for the same amount of time. These get tossed with oil and seasonings and get to roasting.
-While the rice is finishing and the veggies are roasting, I make the dressing.
-Then it’s just about time for it all to be done. Get some fancy bowls out and treat yourself to a healthy rice bowl meal!
Do you want more healthy rice recipes? Check out the links below to other ideas!
Citrus Chicken Bowls with Parslied Brown Rice Pilaf
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
bowls
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- 2 cups wild rice blend
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups diced, peeled sweet potato about 1/2" dice
- 1 medium delicata squash
- 2 cups brussels sprouts cut in half
- 2 cups pickled red onion see note below if you don't have some on hand
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
- 2 Tablespoons garlic salt
- 2 Tablespoons raw honey
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- If you don't have pickled red onion on hand, see the note below to get those started.
- Add the wild rice, salt, and pepper to the instant pot with the recommended amount of water from package directions and cook for 26-28 minutes. Quick release when it is done. Alternatively, you can cook the rice according to package directions on the stove top.
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into about 1/2" chunks. Cut the delicata squash in half, scoop out the seeds, then slice the halves into half circles about 1/2" thick. Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Toss all of these veggies in the extra virgin olive oil with the thyme and garlic salt. Spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until desired softness is reached. I like them soft in the middle with a bit of a crust starting to form on the bottom side. In my oven about 30 minutes works well.
- While the rice is cooking and the veggies are roasting, make the dressing by combining the honey, orange juice, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble the bowls, layer the rice on the bottom, a little (about a 1/2 cup) of each veggie (including the onion) over the top, and drizzle with the orange honey dressing.
I use pickled red onion on these and it adds sooooo much to the dish. If you don't have the onions sitting around, that's ok, they're fast and easy to make. Just use a glass liquid measuring cup to measure out 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar. Straight into the measure cup add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey and 2 teaspoons of salt. Put it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. You don't want to make it hot, just warm enough to dissolve the sugar and salt easier. While that's in the microwave, thinly slice 1 small red onion, then add it to the vinegar mixture and put the whole thing in fridge until you make your bowls. You can also transfer them to a jar if you need the measuring cup. Just make sure the onions are mostly covered.