Are you searching for the ultimate, show-stopping side dish for your holiday table? A festive, flavorful, and completely unforgettable alternative to traditional bread stuffing that will have all your guests raving? This incredible, from-scratch Wild Rice Stuffing with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts is that perfect recipe. We’re talking a hearty and delicious medley of chewy wild rice, crispy bacon, earthy mushrooms, and tender-crisp Brussels sprouts, all tossed together in a savory, herb-infused dressing.
This isn’t just another side dish recipe; it’s your definitive guide to a modern, sophisticated, and stunningly delicious holiday classic. We’ll show you the simple but crucial secrets to a perfectly cooked rice blend and how to build incredible layers of savory flavor. This is a satisfying, soulful, and deeply impressive dish that is perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Savory & Festive Holiday Side
What makes this Wild Rice Stuffing so spectacularly delicious is its incredible combination of textures and its wonderful, deep and savory flavor. This recipe is a masterpiece of festive, rustic cooking. The base of the stuffing is a hearty and flavorful blend of nutty wild rice and chewy short-grain brown rice, which are cooked in a rich chicken broth infused with fresh thyme. The real magic for the flavor comes from a trio of savory powerhouses: smoky, crispy applewood-smoked bacon, rich and earthy portobello mushrooms, and sweet pearl onions. The entire dish is then brought together with tender-crisp, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts and a final, crunchy sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 8-10 |
The Flavors of the Feast: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, flavorful ingredients to create its signature rich and savory-sweet flavor.
- The Rice Blend (The Hearty Base!):
- Wild Rice & Brown Rice: The secret to a truly complex and satisfying texture is using a blend of two different types of rice. The long, dark grains of wild rice have a wonderful, firm chew and a nutty, earthy flavor, while the short-grain brown rice provides a softer, slightly sticky texture that helps to bind the stuffing together.
- The Savory Powerhouses:
- Applewood-Smoked Bacon: A thick-cut, smoky bacon is the key that provides a wonderful, savory flavor and a delicious, crispy texture. The rendered bacon fat is also the secret to the incredibly flavorful sautéed vegetables!
- Portobello Mushrooms & Pearl Onions: A classic, hearty, and deeply savory combination that adds a wonderful, “meaty” depth to this vegetarian-friendly (with a few swaps!) dish.1
- The Festive Greens & Crunch:
- Brussels Sprouts: The secret to Brussels sprouts that are perfectly cooked and not at all bitter is to shred or thinly slice them and then to give them a quick sauté. This makes them wonderfully tender-crisp and allows them to beautifully absorb all the other savory flavors.
- Toasted Hazelnuts: For the best, most intense, and nuttiest flavor, it is highly recommended to toast your hazelnuts before you chop and add them to the dish.
Step-by-Step to the Best Wild Rice Stuffing
This elegant, festive side dish is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: The Flavor Foundations (Bacon & Rice)
Step 1: In a large skillet, cook your 8 ounces of chopped bacon over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the delicious, rendered fat in the skillet.
Step 2: In a heavy saucepan or a Dutch oven, bring your 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth and the 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme to a boil. Add your 1 1/4 cups each of the brown and wild rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender but still chewy.
Step 3: Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, still covered, for 10 minutes. Then, fluff it with a fork.
Part 2: The Savory Sauté and Final Assembly
Step 1: In the same skillet with your reserved bacon fat, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add your thawed pearl onions and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until they are a light golden brown.
Step 2: Add your 12 ounces of shredded portobello mushrooms and another 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened.
Step 3: Add your 8 ounces of thinly sliced Brussels sprouts and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Step 4 (The Best Part!): Transfer your sautéed vegetable mixture to the large saucepan of cooked rice. Add your toasted hazelnuts and your crispy, cooked bacon. Toss everything together until all the ingredients are beautifully mixed.
Transfer the finished stuffing to a large bowl and serve.
Rice Stuffing (with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts!)
A hearty and savory recipe for a gluten-free ‘Christmas Stuffing with Bacon,’ perfect as a side dish for a holiday feast. This non-traditional stuffing features a flavorful blend of short-grain brown rice and wild rice, which is cooked in a thyme-infused chicken broth. The rice is then tossed with crispy applewood-smoked bacon and a medley of sautéed vegetables, including pearl onions, portobello mushrooms, and thinly sliced Brussels sprouts. Toasted hazelnuts are added for a final, crunchy texture.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
- For the Rice:
- 4 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 1/4 cups short-grain brown rice
- 1 1/4 cups wild rice
- For the Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- One 14-ounce bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces (3 large) portobello mushrooms, shredded or thinly sliced
- 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the fat in the skillet.
- Cook the Rice: In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, bring the chicken broth and thyme to a boil. Add the brown and wild rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender but still chewy. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Cook the Vegetables: In the same skillet with the reserved bacon fat, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pearl onions and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until light golden.
- Add the mushrooms, another 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, until softened.
- Add the sliced Brussels sprouts and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes.
- Combine: Transfer the cooked vegetable mixture to the pot with the cooked rice. Add the toasted hazelnuts and the cooked bacon. Toss until all the ingredients are well mixed. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve.
Notes
- This is a savory, gluten-free alternative to traditional bread-based stuffing.
- Cooking the vegetables in the same skillet used for the bacon is a key step that adds a rich, smoky flavor to the entire dish.
- The combination of two different types of rice provides a wonderful texture and nutty flavor.
- This side dish can be made ahead of time and gently reheated before serving.
What to Serve With Your Wild Rice Stuffing
This beautiful and savory-sweet dish is a fantastic and incredibly versatile side dish. It is the perfect accompaniment to almost any fall or holiday main course.
- Holiday Roasts: It is an absolute must-have alongside a classic Roasted Turkey, a Glazed Ham, or a beautiful Prime Rib.
- Weeknight Dinners: It is also the perfect, hearty side for a simple roasted chicken or some pan-seared pork chops.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This is the ultimate make-ahead holiday side dish!
- Make-Ahead: This is a perfect make-ahead dish! You can prepare and fully assemble the entire dish up to 3 days in advance.
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat this dish is to place it in a baking dish, add a small splash of broth, cover it with foil, and warm it in a 350°F oven for about 20-25 minutes, until it is warmed through.
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Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)
Q1: Can I make this a truly vegetarian stuffing?
Yes, absolutely! To make a delicious vegetarian version, simply omit the bacon and use an extra 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil to sauté your vegetables. Be sure to also use a high-quality, flavorful vegetable or mushroom broth to cook your rice.
Q2: Can I make this side dish ahead of time for a holiday dinner?
Yes, this is an ideal make-ahead side dish. You can prepare the entire recipe from start to finish up to three days in advance. The flavors will actually have even more time to meld and deepen!
Q3: Can I bake this stuffing inside my turkey?
It is generally not recommended to cook a rice-based stuffing inside the cavity of a turkey, as it can be difficult to ensure that the stuffing reaches a food-safe temperature of 165°F without overcooking the turkey breast. This dish is at its best when it is served as a separate “dressing.”
Q4: What is wild rice?
Wild rice is not actually a true rice, but rather the seed of an aquatic grass. It has a wonderfully firm and chewy texture and a distinct, nutty, and earthy flavor that is a fantastic and classic pairing for fall and holiday dishes.
Q5: Can I use fresh pearl onions instead of frozen?
Of course! Using frozen pearl onions is simply a fantastic and convenient shortcut that saves you the tedious work of peeling all those tiny onions.