Turkey and Rice Casserole

Turkey and Rice Casserole

This casserole is just about everything a casserole ought to be - homey, comforting and tasty. it's also a terrific way to make use of up remaining turkey after the holdidays. This is good enough though that you might want to roast a turkey just for this casserole.
This is also pretty flexible - feel free to change the seasonings as you want. When you have left over poultry seasoning that is a good one to use up on this dish. you can utilize the turkey broth which might be produced from the carcass once the turkey is roasted too - which is a huge flavor booster. You can also mix and match the cheese to fit your tastes - or your leftovers! I've add the little bits of various cheeses before, including Havarti, Jack and cheddar, and they're all good. I enjoy the Swiss, but all cheddar works great too. Customize as you want!
If you don't have a source for plain wild rice, feel free to use the packaged wild rice blends, and skip the flavor packets from those. The taste is much better with the standard variety however. And also this recipe is easily doubled to give a large group - I normally do just that.
Turkey and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
* 2 1/4 cups chicken or turkey broth
* 2 tbsps . uncooked wild rice
* 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
* 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1 small carrot, grated
* 1 small stalk celery, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
* 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
* 1/2 (2 ounce) jar chopped pimientos, drained
* 1 tsp . salt,
* 1 teaspoon pepper,
* 1 tsp . rubbed sage
* 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
* 1/2 tsp marjoram
* 3 tbsps all purpose flour
* 1-1/2 cups whole milk
* 2 tbsps white wine
* 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
2. In a Dutch over bring broth to a boil. Add wild rice, cover and cook until tender, about twenty-five miutes. Include white rice, cover and simmer an additional twenty-five minutes or until tender.
3. In a large skillet, saute the fresh mushrooms, onion, broccoli, celery and carrot in butter until aromatic and onions are translucent - about 10 minutes. Mix in pimientos, salt, pepper, rosemary, sage and marjoram. Mix in cubed turkey and rice. Taste and adjust with regard to seasoning. Remove from heat.
4. In a pot, stir together the flour, milk as well as wine until really smooth and no lumps remain. Bring to a simmer and cook for several minutes, whisking continuously, till thickened. Stir in all of the Swiss cheese as well as 1 / 2 the chedder and remove from heat. Add to turkey and rice.
5. Move to a buttered 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining cheddar cheeses.
Take note - You might wish to mix the last casserole elements together in a VERY large mixing bowl as opposed to trying to get it done in the frying pan. There's a lot - and it is too much for that frying pan.