Creamy Wild Rice Soup is one of the easiest, heartiest soups you can make on a budget
Whether it is red, brown, white, Basmati, Jasmine, wild or black, long-grain or short-grain, rice offers good taste and nutrition. Heart healthy and vitamin rich, rice is low fat, low in calories, whole grain, and gluten free. Some brands of rice are even non-MO verified, certified gluten-free and organic. Black, wild and red rice are considered good sources of fiber.
Rice, which is grown in the Mississippi Delta, is an inexpensive product, another plus for budget-minded consumers. It can stretch a meat dish or casserole for a large family.
Just as the colors vary in rice so does the taste. Black rice for which Minnesota is famous has a nutty taste and requires longer cooking time. Another favorite is wild rice. One-fourth cup uncooked yields at least one-half cup and contains 176 calories. Wild rice also has a nutty, rice flavor and firm texture, and is good in casseroles, soups and pilafs.
While brown rice is considered healthier, white rice is more widely consumed around the world, according to www.healthline.com/ .
Rice offers versatility and savings to the home cook. This grain can be used in recipes from morning until night, including soups, salads, entrees, sides and even desserts.
For novice cooks, long grain white rice is easy to make. Add 1 cup of white rice to 2 cups boiling salted water to which a tablespoon of butter has been added. Bring to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer until water is absorbed about 15 minutes.
If the colored or wild rice are unfamiliar, check out the varieties of rice and give added flavor to the meal. Soup made with black rice is amazing, as is a wild rice soup. Wild rice is a good accompaniment for chicken or turkey dishes. Red rice can be used in soups, salads, pilafs and stir-frys.
Rice dishes, such as a cold salad with cranberries, apples and pecans make one think of fall. This salad could be paired with poultry or pork chops or tenderloin or served along a Thanksgiving bird. Preparation time is about 10 minutes.
Different varieties of rice also can be found in the freezer section at the grocery store. These are perfect for time-starved cooks. The wild rice soup below is made with packaged frozen rice but can be made with packaged wild rice found on grocers’ shelves.
Equipment to make Wild Rice Soup
Expert Wild Rice Soup tips:
If you can’t find the frozen cooked wild rice, use 1 1/4 cups from a 15-ounce can of cooked wild rice. 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 40 to 50 minutes until wild rice is tender.
For 2 grams of fat and 245 calories per serving, omit the butter and spray saucepan with cooking spray before heating. Substitute 1 cup evaporated fat-free milk for the half-and-half. Top servings of this hearty soup with toasted cheese slices.
Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook celery, carrot, onion and bell pepper in butter about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
– Recipe from www.BettyCrocker.com/
This recipe originally published in the Biloxi Sun Herald.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Creamy Wild Rice Soup is one of the easiest, heartiest soups you can make on a budget."