Wild Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms and Herbs
Wild Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms and Herbs is a savory, earthy side dish featuring chewy wild rice grains cooked with sautéed mushrooms and fresh herbs like thyme and parsley. It's a staple of North American cuisine, particularly popular in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions where wild rice is native. The dish often incorporates vegetable or chicken broth for depth, and sometimes includes onions, garlic, or toasted nuts for added texture.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This dish is primarily a source of complex carbohydrates and plant-based protein, with moderate fat from cooking oil or butter. It provides a good amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins like thiamine and niacin, and essential minerals such as manganese and magnesium. A typical serving contains roughly 250-300 calories.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 280 kcal |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Carbs | 48 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Sodium | 420 mg |
| Manganese | 1.8 mg |
| Magnesium | 85 mg |
| Phosphorus | 220 mg |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.3 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 4.5 mg |
| Folate | 60 mcg |
| Iron | 2.5 mg |
| Zinc | 2.2 mg |
Per 1 cup (240 g) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Wild rice is not technically a rice but the seed of an aquatic grass (Zizania), making it a nutrient-dense whole grain with a higher protein and fiber content than most true rices. Culturally, it holds significance for Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes region, who have harvested and used it as a traditional food for centuries.
