This Roasted Vegetable Rice brings together tender wild rice, smoky bacon, and perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots, and peppers—all tossed in a sweet, tangy balsamic glaze. Topped with toasted pecans and fresh parsley, it’s a hearty, flavor-packed dish your holiday table will love. Find more scrumptious side recipes to round out your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in our November/December 2024 issue!
Roasted Vegetable Rice
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
- 1½ cups wild blend rice*
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Garnish: chopped fresh parsley, toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, place bacon.
- Bake until almost crispy, about 8 minutes. Leave oven on.
- In a medium saucepan, combine broth, rice, and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until broth is absorbed and rice is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
- On rimmed baking sheet with bacon, toss together Brussels sprouts, carrots, red onion, bell pepper, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Bake until sprouts are roasted, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through baking.
- In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, thyme, black pepper, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Add to warm vegetables, tossing to coat.
- In desired serving bowl, stir together rice, vegetable mixture, pecans, and parsley. Garnish with parsley and pecans, if desired.
Notes
*We used Lundberg Wild Blend Rice.
