Rice Stuffing with Butternut Squash

Steps to make

1. 1

   Cook rice

   15 min
   

   Add 2 cups of rice to a large saucepan of boiling water with 2 bay leaves. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the rice according to package directions. Drain well. Spread the rice out on a baking sheet to cool and discard the bay leaves.

2. 2

   Heat oven and prepare baking dish

   

   Preheat the oven to 375 °F and lightly butter a 3-quart shallow baking pan.

4. 3

   Cook squash

   6 min
   

   Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pan or skillet. Add 4 cups of chopped squash and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until tender and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool.

5. 4

   Melt butter and cook leek and celery

   6 min
   

   Melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in the same large skillet or pan. Add the leeks and celery and cook while stirring for 5 minutes until tender.

6. 5

   Add broth

   2 min
   

   Pour in 1 cup of broth and season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, before removing from the heat.

7. 6

   Whisk egg

   1 min
   

   Whisk 1 egg in a large bowl.

8. 7

   Add rice, squash, leeks, cranberries and parsley

   1 min
   

   Add the cooked rice and squash, the leek-broth mixture and 1 cup each of cranberries and parsley to the egg and mix well.

9. 8

   Top with pecans and butter

   1 min
   

   Transfer the stuffing to the buttered baking dish. Scatter 1 cup of pecans over the top and chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small cubes and scatter them over the pecans.

10. 9

    Bake

    50 min
    

    Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown on top.

11. 10

    Serve

    

    Serve warm alongside your Thanksgiving dinner.