Wild Rice and Bulgur Stuffing

You’re probably right: no one in your family knows what bulgur is. But that won’t matter at the holiday table. Once they taste this hearty, flavorful stuffing made with the nutritious ancient grain, they’ll be too busy happily chewing to care. Another linguistic caveat: This dish tastes like stuffing, for sure, but the term may not make the most sense anymore. It’ll leave you feeling satisfied, but not stuffed (so you’ll still have room for turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc.). Created in partnership with BOU.

Ingredients

1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup wild rice
3 cups water
2 BOU Chicken Bouillon Cubes
½ cup pecans
1/2 cup raisins
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
to taste freshly ground black pepper and salt

Directions

1. Preparation: Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onions and garlic; sauté for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in wild rice. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, place bulgur and water in a bowl. Let soak for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool and chop coarsely.
4. Place raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
5. Stir the soaked bulgur, pecans, raisins and parsley into the cooked wild rice. Season with salt and pepper.

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE Substituting wild rice and bulgur for hunks of white bread allows you to cut back on the amount of empty calories normally found in stuffing. Adding onions, garlic, celery, and parsley provides flavor and phytonutrients.