Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice with Kale and Mushrooms

Oliver turned four, Frances had her first taste of stuffing in California last week, and the weather’s cold enough for wool hats. Here we are. A new season, somehow. I didn’t expect to be quiet for so long here but, as Sam and I are known to say: #life. My sister had a baby four months ago and he’s going through the famed 4 month sleep regression. She texted me the other night: “Will we make it?!” And I wrote back: YES YOU WILL. We just keep on keepin’ on. Kids have birthdays, holidays pass, first bikes are acquired, first baths are taken, and we all make it out just fine, somehow.

I made and photographed this recipe the day before we left to visit my Dad in the Bay Area last week, fully expecting to get it up on the site before Thanksgiving as it truly makes the perfect vegetarian side dish. Thankfully though, there’s no reason it needs to be relegated to the holiday table.

It has so many good things going for it: it’s simple (thank you, Instant Pot!), hearty and packed with whole grain nutrition, full of tender mushrooms and flavorful leeks, and creamy thanks to a generous handful of goat cheese (you can leave this out if you’re vegan).

Sam and Oliver took the train down for Thanksgiving and Frances and I flew. Sunday afternoon we got home and were met with a barrage of catalogs, a porch light that had blown out, a car that had died and needed a jump start, and leftovers. I cooked a soft egg and chopped a bunch of parsley and added it to the top of my bowl, Frances picked out the mushrooms and devoured them, banging on the wall when she wanted more. She’s got opinions, my girl.

I hope you all love this as much as she did.

Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice with Kale and Mushrooms

Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice with Kale and Mushrooms

  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Prep time: 15 mins
  • Cook time: 1 hr
  • Total time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large leeks, cleaned, trimmed, halved lengthwise and finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound mixed mushrooms (cremini, shitake, baby bellas are all great), thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill wild rice blend, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth (I use a low-sodium broth)
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and sliced into thin ribbons (about 2 cups)
4 ounces goat cheese

Instructions

Add the olive oil to the pot of the Instant Pot and press the Saute function. Once the oil is warm, add the leeks, shallot, and celery and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme and salt, and cook until mushrooms are just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add the wild rice and vegetable broth. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot and place the pressure release handle in the Sealing position. Cook for 45 minutes on Manual / High Pressure. When the rice is done cooking, release the steam.

Fold the kale and goat cheese into the pot. The rice will continue to absorb the liquid as it sets.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Leftovers are great for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Comments

  1. Linda

    This looks delicious!
    If I'm using a saucepan instead of an Instant Pot how long do you suggest it cooks for?

    1. megang

      Hi, Linda! You know, I'd just follow the normal cook time for the rice. If it still seems liquidy, let it cook down a bit further. Enjoy!

  2. Mandy

    How would you do this in the slow cooker?

    1. megang

      Hi, Mandy! I actually haven't made it in a slow cooker, so I can't advise there. So sorry!

  3. Anne-Marie

    Looks delish! But Megan, what is your go-to vegetable broth brand? I can’t seem to find one that tastes good to me, so usually substitute chicken.

    1. megang

      Hi, Anne-Marie! I've been buying Imagine lately. It is SO hard to find a good one, isn't it?

  4. Rachel

    We made this for a small gathering a while back and absolutely loved it. We used a mix of crimini and chanterelles. I kept the goat cheese on the side as we had some dairy free guests, which worked well. Will definitely be repeating.

  5. Barbara Bennett

    Hi Megan!
    I haven’t seen your blog for years... couldn’t remember the details but amazing how the internet helps in certain instances. Glad to know you’re still ‘out there’! And your Kids are growing... last time I remember seeing your blog you had just moved out of California. And I had just bought the boots that you put on your blog… LOL. Still love them! Can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve just retired and I’m so excited to finally be able to focus on creativity and cooking. On the note of broth… I use better than bouillon. They make a no chicken vegetarian base that is a paste. It does have 650 mg of sodium per teaspoon… 27%… So that’s a little scary but it’s a wonderful flavor and if you don’t use it heavy-handed it’s quite nice.
    All the best!
    Barbara

    1. megang

      Hi, Barbara! Sorry for my delay! Wonderful to have you back and congrats on your retirement! Yes, in my day job marketing over at Simply Recipes we just did a broth taste test and left out better than bouillion but our readers were NOT happy with that decision. I need to try it! Enjoy your weekend, and thank you for the note!

Join the Discussion

Healthy Comfort Food

Thai Carrot, Coconut and Cauliflower Soup

Thai Carrot, Coconut and Cauliflower Soup

People describe raising young kids as a particular season in life. I hadn't heard this until we had a baby, but it brought me a lot of comfort when I'd start to let my mind wander, late at night between feedings, to fears that we'd never travel internationally again or have a sit-down meal in our dining room. Would I ever eat a cardamom bun in Sweden? Soak in Iceland? I loved the heck out of our tiny Oliver, but man what had we done?! Friends would swoop in and reassure us that this was just a season, a blip in the big picture of it all. They promised we'd likely not even remember walking around the house in circles singing made-up songs while eating freezer burritos at odd hours of the day (or night). And it's true.

Oliver is turning two next month, and those all-encompassing baby days feel like a different time, a different Us. In many ways, dare I say it, Toddlerhood actually feels a bit harder. Lately Oliver has become extremely opinionated about what he will and will not wear -- and he enforces these opinions with fervor. Don't get near the kid with a button-down shirt. This week at least. He's obsessed with his rain boots and if it were up to him, he'd keep them on at all times, especially during meals. He insists on ketchup with everything (I created a damn monster), has learned the word "trash" and insists on throwing found items away on his own that really, truly are not trash. I came to pick him up from daycare the other day and he was randomly wearing a bike helmet -- his teacher mentioned he'd had it on most of the day and really, really didn't want to take it off. The kid has FEELINGS. I love that about him, and wouldn't want it any other way. But, man it's also exhausting.

Read More
Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake

Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake

I just finished washing out Oliver's lunchbox and laying it out to dry for the weekend. My favorite time of day is (finally) here: the quiet of the evening when I can actually talk to Sam about our day or sit and reflect on my own thoughts after the inevitable dance party or band practice that precedes the bedtime routine lately. Before becoming pregnant for the second time, I'd have had a glass of wine with the back door propped open right about now -- these days though, I have sparkling water or occasionally take a sip from one of Sam's hard ciders. Except now the back door's closed and we even turned on the heat for the first time yesterday. The racing to water the lawn and clean the grill have been replaced by cozier dinners at home and longer baths in the evening. You blink and it's the first day of fall. 

Read More
Stuffed Shells with Fennel and Radicchio

Stuffed Shells with Fennel and Radicchio

I'd heard from many friends that buying a house wasn't for the faint of heart. But I always shrugged it off, figuring I probably kept better files or was more organized and, really, how hard could it be? Well, I've started (and stopped) writing this post a good fifteen times which may indicate something. BUT! First thing's first: we bought a house! I think! I'm pretty sure! We're still waiting for some tax transcripts to come through and barring any hiccough with that, we'll be moving out of our beloved craftsman in a few weeks and down the block to a great, brick Tudor house that we wanted the second we laid eyes on it. The only problem: it seemed everyone else in Seattle had also laid eyes on it, and wanted it equally as much. I'm not really sure why the homeowner chose us in the end. Our offer actually wasn't the highest, but apparently there were some issues with a few of them. We wrote a letter introducing ourselves and describing why we'd be the best candidates and why we were so drawn to the house; we have a really wonderful broker who pulled out all the stops, and after sifting through 10 offers and spending a number of hours deliberating, they ended up going with ours. We were at a friend's book event at the time when Sam showed me the text from our broker and I kind of just collapsed into his arms. We were both in ecstatic denial (wait, is this real?! Did we just buy a house?) and celebrated by getting chicken salad and potato salad from the neighborhood grocery store and eating it, dazed, on our living room floor. Potato salad never tasted so good. 

Read More
Smoky Butternut Squash and Three Bean Chili

Smoky Butternut Squash and Three Bean Chili

If your house is anything like ours, last week wasn't our most inspired in terms of cooking. We're all suffering from the post-election blues -- the sole upside being Oliver's decision to sleep-in until 7 am for the first time in many, many months; I think he's trying to tell us that pulling the covers over our heads and hibernating for awhile is ok. It's half-convincing. For much of the week, instead of cooking, there'd been takeout pizza and canned soup before, at week's end, I decided it was time to pour a glass of wine and get back into the kitchen. I was craving something hearty and comforting that we could eat for a few days. Something that wouldn't remind me too much of Thanksgiving because, frankly, I can't quite gather the steam to start planning for that yet. It was time for a big bowl of chili.

Read More
To Talk Porridge

To Talk Porridge

Porridge is not the sexiest of breakfasts, it's true. It doesn't have a stylish name like strata or shakshuka, and it doesn't have perfectly domed tops like your favorite fruity muffin. It doesn't crumble into delightful bits like a good scone nor does it fall into buttery shards like a well-made croissant. But when you wake up and it's 17 degrees outside (as it has been, give or take a few, for the last week), there's nothing that satisfies like a bowl of porridge or oatmeal. It's warm and hearty and can be made sweet or savory with any number of toppings. The problem? Over the years, it's gotten a bad rap as gluey or gummy or just downright boring or dutiful -- and it's because not everyone knows the secrets to making a great pot of warm morning cereal. So let's talk porridge (also: my cookbook comes out this month! So let's take a peek inside, shall we?)

Read More