Healthy ingredients, aromatic spices, and cozy vibes come together in a magical way creating this beautiful Lentil Mushroom Wild Rice Pilaf! Not only is it the perfect side dish for holiday gatherings and simple dinners alike, but add some delicious roasted butternut squash and pomegranates for a hearty meal. Loaded with flavorful mushrooms, tender lentils, and nutty wild rice, this tasty dish is sure to be a real crowd pleaser.  Healthy and completely delicious, you can be assured that every bite will be flavorful and packed with deliciousness. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi there, Ameera here!

When I think of rice pilaf, I can’t help but think of holiday dinners.  While growing up, Mom really didn’t make a rice pilaf dish too often. Our typical sides mostly consisted of a wide variety of potato dishes.  Since going Whole Food Plant Based, we have been making tons of rice recipes.  What I love about being WFPB is that it really gets you to open your mind to trying all kinds of new recipes, different cuisines, and a ton of different ingredients that you have never considered trying in a million years.  Right?  Anyone else feel the same?

Loving Lentils

I love lentils.  They are so versatile and satisfying.  They are “meaty” and filling, and really lend themselves to so many Whole Food Plant Based recipes. One cup of lentils has 64% of your daily dietary fiber and 731mg of potassium!  It has 36% of your daily iron and 18 grams of protein or 36% of your daily requirement.  And just a fun fact, lentils are Dr. Greger’s favorite legume!

Mighty Mushrooms

As most of our readers know, I never really liked mushrooms prior to going Whole Food Plant Based, now I love them. I guess, I just needed to try them all over again. I would strongly suggest doing exactly that.  In other words, always give certain foods a second chance. You might find that you just needed to experience it again anew, just like I did, and end up loving it.

Mushrooms are so good for you. Who would have “thunk” it?  LOL Most mushrooms contain B vitamins as well as a powerful antioxidant called selenium. Selenium helps support building a strong immune system.

Mushrooms are the only vegetarian food that can make Vitamin D.  It is actually a “pro-vitamin” or precursor, called ergosterol that is converted to vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s ultraviolent rays.

Dr. Fuhrman supports consuming mushrooms so much that he has declared them an essential food in his infamous G-BOMBS. G-BOMBs are the top 6 cancer fighting foods recommended by Dr. Fuhrman.  The “M” = Mushrooms.  (Note: G=Greens, B=Beans, O=Onions, M=Mushrooms, B=Berries, and S= Seeds.)

Brown Rice and Wild Rice

I absolutely love the combination of brown rice and wild rice.  Whole grain rice (brown and wild) help lower cholesterol and move waste through the digestive track.  Whole grains can help prevent and improve certain health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.  One cup of this simple food has 3.5 grams of fiber as well as 88% Manganese and 27% Selenium.  It is also an excellent source of folate, riboflavin, potassium and calcium.

Manganese is a vital mineral needed to support healthy bones, healing of wounds, and blood sugar regulation.  Rice also contains phenols and flavonoids, a class of antioxidants.  Studies have shown that the antioxidants found in rice may be the reason that there are low risk of diseases where rice consumption is prevalent.

I’ll let Mom tell you more.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Hi!  Robin here!

I love this dish.  I plan to make it for Thanksgiving as a side dish.  It has beautiful flavor and texture.  We have indicated in the recipe to adjust the seasonings, meaning adding more, if you wish. I love it just the way it is; however, TP109 wanted some additional garlic added.

I loved Monkey’s suggestion, which was to add a fan of roasted butternut squash and some pomegranate seeds. It really made for a festive presentation.  Additionally, I loved the extra flavor from the squash and pomegranate seeds, so so delicious.

Here are some other delicious Thanksgiving recipe side suggestions:

• Scalloped Potatoes – Rich, creamy, and decadent.
• Simple Mashed Potatoes – Velvety, easy, and oh-so-yummy.
• Oven Roasted Rosemary Root Vegetables – Sweet, aromatic, and wholesome goodness.
• Mushroom Gravy – Lush, earthy, and delicious.

Products Used:

• 8-quart ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar large stock pot

Lentil Mushroom Wild Rice Pilaf

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
• Category: Side, Dinner

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Description

Healthy ingredients, aromatic spices, and cozy vibes come together in a magical way creating this beautiful Lentil Mushroom Wild Rice Pilaf! Not only is it the perfect side dish for holiday gatherings and simple dinners alike, but add some delicious roasted butternut squash and pomegranates for a hearty meal. Loaded with flavorful mushrooms, tender lentils, and nutty wild rice, this tasty dish is sure to be a real crowd pleaser.  Healthy and completely delicious, you can be assured that every bite will be flavorful and packed with deliciousness. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

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Ingredients

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Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 8 to 10 cloves)
• 1 cup vegetable broth (Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth) *
• 3 cups water
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (+ if needed) *
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (+ more if needed) *
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon thyme (+ more if needed)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt (+/- to taste) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup uncooked small brown lentils*
• 8 oz. to 12 oz. mushrooms (of choice), sliced, we used button mushrooms (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon Tamari (optional)
• 3 cups cooked/steamed wild rice/brown rice combo (1 cup brown rice, ½ cup wild rice – uncooked) *

Optional Items:

• Roasted butternut squash slices
• Pomegranate seeds

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Instructions

1. (Tip: this step could be prepared the day before or you can use any left over rice you have in the fridge) This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked wild rice, brown rice or a combo of both. We placed 1 cup of brown rice and ½ cup of wild rice together in our rice cooker, with 2 ¾ cups water and about ¼ teaspoon sea salt.  We used the “white rice” setting on our rice cooker. It cooked the rice perfectly. Every rice cooker is different. Our “brown rice” setting overcooks the rice where it splits, so we use the white rice setting.  You will have a little rice leftover as this combo of 1 cup brown coupled with ½ cup wild rice makes about 4 to 5 cups of rice. (see notes).  We really enjoyed the combo of wild and brown rice.
2. In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven/pot or similarly large stockpot, add the finely diced onion. Sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes until the onions are very tender. (If needed to prevent sticking, add a splash of vegetable broth or water).
3. Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute.
4. Add the water, vegetable broth, and tomato paste bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
5. Add all the seasonings, dried minced onion, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
6. Add the uncooked small brown lentils. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes, uncovered.  Watch them carefully toward the end of the cooking time as you want the lentils tender, but do not let them turn to mush. Keep testing them until they are perfectly tender.  The small brown lentils hold their texture really well.  Additionally, there should still be a small amount of broth left in the pan.  This broth will be used to flavor the rice later.
7. In the meantime, if you are adding mushrooms, slice (8 oz. or 12 oz.) mushrooms, then add to a nonstick skillet, sauté in 1 Tablespoon of Tamari until most (if not all) of the moisture has evaporated, then add to the lentil mixture toward the end of the lentil cooking time.
8. Once the lentils are just tender, taste the lentils in the small amount of cooking broth as you may need additional seasoning. Now is the time to adjust the seasoning based upon preferences. Once you have the seasoning to your liking, then add 3 cups of the cooked wild/brown rice mixture and heat thoroughly in the pot for about 3 to 5 minutes. Taste again for seasoning, and adjust accordingly. 
9. Serve as a beautiful side dish. It is especially beautiful topped with roasted butternut squash slices and pomegranate seeds. 

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Notes

*Vegetable Stock:  We use Pacific Organic Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients; however, this brand of vegetable stock does have a strong flavor so less broth is required when compared to the water ratio. We use a higher water to broth ratio because of this. If you use another brand of vegetable broth, then adjust the water/vegetable broth ratio accordingly. For example, swap the over, use 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of water.

*Small Brown Lentils (Pardina/Spanish Brown):  You can substitute any type of lentil for the brown lentils (other than red); however, you will need to adjust the cooking time.  Small brown lentils typically cook faster than green lentils.  We have found that the Small Brown Lentils works beautifully with this recipe. 

*Rice:  The beauty of this recipe is you can substitute any type of rice you wish as well. We found that the brown rice and wild rice combination made a beautiful presentation.  Additionally, our rice cooker steamed the rice perfectly using the “white” rice setting even though we used a combination of brown and wild. 

*Roasted Butternut Squash: Peel and then cut the butternut squash in half lengthways. Cut into ¾ th inch slices and place on a parchment lined baking dish, sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper (both sides).  Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, then switch the oven to a low broil and then broil lightly. Lay a fan of roasted butternut squash across the top.  Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds right before serving. 

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  4 to 6 (serving size depends on if served as a dinner with additional sides like a butternut squash or as a side as is)

*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.