Beef and Wild Rice Medley

February. Dark and long. I drove two short runs this week. Wrote. Cooked.

Book two revision at 38%.

Gayle had a decent week. She ate. She talked. She asked me on Thursday, out of nowhere, "Brenda, when I go, will you read the poem?" I said, "What poem, Ma?" She said, "The 139th Psalm. I want the 139th Psalm." I said, "Yes, Ma. I will." She said, "Thank you." Then she went back to her book. Gayle planned her funeral poem on a Thursday afternoon in February without fanfare. That is Gayle. I wrote it down in my journal. I want to get it right.

Dave had a bad back flare Saturday. I took him to the chiropractor. It helped some. He was still sore Sunday.

Sunday: lasagna.

Dave was still sore from his back, Gayle had handed me something I’ll carry for the rest of my life, and it was February — which says enough on its own. I needed a Sunday that felt steady, something I could put in the oven and let the house fill up with warmth while the afternoon went quiet. Beef and Wild Rice Medley is exactly that kind of dish: honest, filling, no fuss, just the smell of something good happening in the background while you sit with whatever the week left you.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 cup wild rice, uncooked and rinsed
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (14 oz) beef broth
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
Sauté aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to the skillet with the beef and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 3–4 minutes until they release their liquid and begin to brown.
Combine filling. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix until evenly combined. Fold in the rinsed wild rice.
Transfer and bake. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 55–60 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid.
Rest and serve. Remove from oven and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover, garnish with fresh parsley if desired, and serve directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef and Wild Rice Medley — The Sunday After a Hard Week