This recipe started as a stone soup whatever-is-in-your-fridge recipe, but it has morphed into something more fixed- and a tradition at family gatherings. We love mushrooms so that’s a big emphasis in the current version, but it’s built for flexibility.

Here’s the winning formula: wild rice + sautéed veggies + cheese. You basically cook all aspects of the casserole separately and then bring them together to brown in the oven.

• 1.5-2 c wild rice
• Chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced into half moons
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper
• Shredded cheese: sharp cheddar, swiss, goat cheese all work.

1. Cook enough wild rice to form a 1″ (ish) layer in the bottom of a casserole dish – usually a few cups. I like to cook the rice in chicken stock. If you make too much, the rice freezes well!
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. Separately, sauté the vegetables in butter or oil  until they’re really fully cooked (butter tastes better than oil). We like to add garlic or garlic powder, MSG, salt – but feel free to experiment!
   Note: You need enough vegetables for 1/2-1 inch layer in the casserole. For us, that tends to be: a couple of summer squash  and a package or two of mushrooms. We’ve also sometimes used onions and broccoli, and that’s good too.
4. Add the veggies in a layer on top of the rice.
5. Add cheese on top. Quantity and variety are up for interpretation. Staples in our home are sharp cheddar and Swiss. We also like it with goat cheese or something creamier. Needless to say, more cheese tastes better.
6. Bake it until the cheese melts, the top browns, and it smells good, about 20-30 minutes.