Wild Rice Stuffing

Ali Segersten Nov 25, 2008 8 comments
Gluten-Free Wild Rice Stuffing

The past few years I have made a delicious, savory, gluten-free wild rice stuffing for the big Thanksgiving Day turkey. We always use half of it to stuff the turkey, while the other half gets baked in a casserole dish. I have not had a recipe for this until today; I usually just toss it all together until it tastes just right. While preparing this at our holiday cooking class last week, I had a number of people ask me for exact measurements, which I just could not give. So today, I dutifully measured every ingredient before I put them into the skillet. The end result was perfection. We enjoyed the stuffing as a main dish for dinner tonight along with the simple additions of braised kale, steamed green beans, and steamed fingerling potatoes.

During dinner we offered our 3-year old daughter some fingerling potatoes and she promptly replied that she doesn't eat fingers! I just had to share that little bit of 3-year old wisdom.

The stuffing can easily be made a day ahead of time for all of you who are super organized and like to plan. For those of you who are new to gluten-sensitivity, please remember that your Turkey is not gluten-free if it has bread (made with wheat) stuffing inside of it. If you are going to be attending another Thanksgiving dinner, then you can suggest to have the cook use a rice stuffing or you may just need to enjoy some of the other side dishes that are naturally gluten-free.

When it comes to roasting the turkey, I usually layer onion slices, celery, and plenty of fresh herbs on the bottom of the pan just beneath the turkey. Then fill the pan with about 1/4 inch of water. These flavors infuse into the turkey and drippings during roasting for a rich, savory flavor. I also like to brine a turkey using salt, apple cider, and herbs. Don't be afraid of salt! I generously salt the top of the turkey with Herbamare, which is a flavorful herb-infused sea salt. A few dashes of olive oil and a handful of chopped herbs are sprinkled over the top for more flavor.

ALI-2023-PHOTO-VERTICAL-2

About the Author

Ali Segersten

Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.

See More

Nourishing Meals Newsletter

Email updates.

Add Comment

Comments

I LOVE your website! Thank you for all of your dedication and information. I am am mom of 2 and in awe of your ability to cook like this and care for 5. I am going to try this stuffing recipe... looks like the dried cranberries would give this dish a lot of flavor. I can't find any without sugar added except for apple juice sweetened ones by Eden organics, but they are so expensive for a small quantity. I would love to know what type you use!

Thanks for your amazing recipes! I can't wait to prepare an array of new recipes for the holidays. Our Thanksgiving table will be laden with all of the great recipes you provided to us. And your words of wisdom made me stop and think how thankful I am for my family and my health. Thanks for all you do to keep all of us healthy!

Pavlina -

I added a link above to Martha Stewart's website on how to roast a turkey. Thought I would leave that to the experts! :)

Thank you Ali for the wonderful recipes. I was wondering if you could also post some basic instructions on how to roast a turkey, for those coming from abroad that never made turkey before. Thanks a lot!

Thanks Anon for the artisian salt tip - I will have to check it out!

Jenna -

I love arrowroot powder, my intuitions say that it is much more nourishing and gentle to the digestive tract than cornstarch or potato flour. Plus you have to think where the potato flour came from. Most conventionally grown potatoes are full of pesticide residues. I have not seen organic potato flour.

My favorite potatoes to mash are Yukon golds also, I just love the creaminess and sweet flavor.

Thanks for your comment! -Ali :)

Haven't heard of herbamare salt, yet will check it out. Apple 5-Spice artisan salt (made with Fleur de Sel, a reduced apple cider, and star anise) would also be a lovely finishing salt for your turkey. It works with potatoes and pies too.

It is carried by:

www.secretsalts.com

Thanks Ali! You are truly a KG (Kitchen Goddess!) I can't wait to make this stuffing again, as the flavor has been with me since your class ;)I have to say that my favorite potatoes to mash are Yukon golds. I use potato flour to thicken the gravy. What are your KG thoughts on potato vs arrowroot?

Related Posts

Dec 30, 2017

Tigernut Flour Apple Crisp (grain-free, nut-free, paleo, vegan)

I'm excited to be sharing this amazing apple crisp recipe with you today. It's made with prebiotic-rich tigernut flour, which is a healthy, grain-free, nut-free, gluten-free flour. Going on an elimination diet can be challenging sometimes, especially during the holidays and family gatherings where food plays such an integral role in the celebration. Having alternatives that are just as tasty as your old favorites can make it much easier to stick to your new diet.
Read More
Nov 20, 2014

Apple Cider & Herb Brined Turkey for Thanksgiving

To brine or not to brine...that is the question. I have found that brining a turkey produces very flavorful, juicy, and tender meat. In this post, I'm going to show you how to brine a whole turkey. Brining is the process of soaking the bird in a salt solution.

Read More
Nov 14, 2014

Harvest Vegetable Soup

It's autumn. The harvest is in. The fires are lit. The chill in the air invites simmering soups and stews in the kitchen. This nourishing, harvest vegetable soup recipe uses some common fall vegetables and some that you might not use that often like celeriac and rutabagas.

Read More
Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake (grain-free)
Nov 21, 2012

Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake (grain-free)

I adore cranberries as you probably already know if you've been reading my blog. This healthy cranberry orange upside down cake recipe isn't very rich or sweet. In fact I sweeten it with just a few tablespoons of maple syrup. It's plenty sweet for my family though.

Read More