Yes. I'm a native Minnesotan. We call them hotdish - not casseroles. They're even better when they include a Minnesota tradition -- wild rice. Comfort food at its finest.
This week for the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge, we focused on the Deen family... Paula and her boys. While Paula's recipes look amazing... if I make her recipes, I find myself modifying them galore. Why? Because, like Julia Child, Paula loves her butter. So, I searched for a recipe that I was "healthier".... and this one grabbed my attention. Of course, I still modified it because we're not big shrimp fans, and I got rid of the butter - it's not needed. The result... delicious comfort food :)
Wild Rice Hotdish - Adapted from Paula Deen
1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice - original
1/2 lb. ground beef (we used extra lean)
1 bell pepper, diced (we used half purple/half yellow)
1 recipe homemade cream of mushroom soup
~1 C shredded Colby Jack cheese
Cook the wild rice according to package directions.
Brown the ground beef (I used frozen leftovers). Then, add to a 9x9 glass baking dish.
Saute the diced peppers in 1/8 C chicken broth.
Then, combine the rice, beef, peppers and half of the shredded cheese.
Stir well.
Then, pour over the cream soup and mix well.
Top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 325 for ~30 minutes until cheese is browned and hotdish is bubbly.
Serve warm. Taste the comfort :)
Do you have a favorite Paula Deen recipe that I should try? We'll get to do her recipes again in a few months!
This recipe is also linked to Foodie Friday and Ingredient Spotlight, URS
Oh this looks super yummy, I love your healthy changes and your homemade cream of mushroom, I will so have to try that!
ReplyDeleteThat does look comforting:-)
ReplyDeleteThis looks wonderful! I had no idea that in Minnesota they were called a hotdish. That's good to know =D
ReplyDeleteThis looks great!
ReplyDeleteNot a native Minnesotan, but we lived there for almost 10 years and I love Minnesota. Our son still lives there. I love calling a casserole - hotdish and wild rice is a staple at my house (last weekend we had Cheesy Wild Rice Soup). Thanks for posting this! It looks very, very good :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gail
This looks delish! I am going to link the recipe over to my blog so that I can remember where I got the recipe. I make a hotdish or casserole at least once a week so that my family can cook it while I'm at work.
ReplyDeleteNice to see all the Minnesotans - I will always consider myself one! This reminds me of something that I would find at the Wednesday night church potluck....along with that "oriental" hotdish that everyone made. Very much a comfort food!
ReplyDeleteThanks for cooking along. Can't wait to see what you choose for next week!
That looks so delicious!!
ReplyDeleteYum. I love these kinds of CASSEROLES! :D
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! I have a similar recipe that uses chicken instead. Being a native Minnesotan also, I love a good hotdish...
ReplyDeleteHurray for another Minnesotan!
ReplyDeleteThis looks good, I really love wild rice!
This looks really good. My Grandmother, who was a Scot, always referred to this kind of dish as a hot pot.
ReplyDeleteI would like to make this without the meat. It is one of those that the photos make you want to drool. Must be the cheese.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so yummy! I was just looking at some wild rice tonight while shopping but didnt get it. Now I wish I did! :)
ReplyDeletePaula's dishes always undergo intense reconstruction in my kitchen. Except for her roasted acorn squash recipe. That one I make as is and adore.
ReplyDeleteI love casseroles and wild rice is something I've been meaning to get into. I didn't realize it was a staple in Minnesota!
This looks delicious! There is nothing the hubby likes better than beef, cheese and rice. I'm definitely giving this one a try. Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! I'll have to give it a try. And I've never heard of "hotdish" instead of casserole. Very cool. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog!
Oh man. It is a cold wet day here in Jersey and I am dying to eat some of that for lunch today. Love those comforting casserole type dishes. Sorry, cannot bring myself to call it a hotdish.
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I am sooooo making this! Yum, yum!
ReplyDeleteHotdish... are you located in or near MN by any chance?
ReplyDelete:)
ButterYum
Oh my! I love this one! My kind of hotdish! Here in Michigan I grew up with this same phrase...thanks for the memories as well as the recipe!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a native Minnesotan. We have hotdish whenever we go to his mom's or sisters. We just called them casseroles in Kansas. Funny how they always have cream of mushroom soup as an ingredient.
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