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A Holiday worthy Pilaf made from red rice; this one has all the Fall favorites like Butternut squash, cranberries, Pepitas and a refreshing citrus dressing!
Fall calls for delicious squash recipes and this one is a favorite. Earthy, sweet and slightly tart; this is a great side for all kinds of entrees.
This red rice pilaf has all the elements of the Holiday season in an easy to make recipe. It is great for Thanksgiving or Christmas or any vegetarian meal!
A healthy holiday side for any meal, this one is filled with delicious ingredients. It is suited for MOST dietary requirements and can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
A cross between the traditional stuffing and a delicious Holiday salad; this can be made before hand and refrigerated till ready to serve.
What you need to make this Red Rice Butternut Squash Pilaf
Red Rice: The rice I have used is Ralston Family Farms™ Red Rice. It is non-GMO, Kosher and full of antioxidants.
This rice has the same antioxidants as Dark Chocolate: Proanthocyanidin. Super easy to cook with water or stock, this rice can be bought from Sprouts.
From seed to shelf Ralston Family Farms provides 100% traceability of their products. All Ralston Rice varieties are sustainably grown, milled, and packaged on their three generation family farm in the USA.
Butternut Squash: I cubed a BIG butternut squash and roasted it with salt and pepper. Roasting it gives the squash a distinct flavor and texture. This should not be skipped.
Onions: Caramelizing onions in a pan gives it such a great flavor. These onions taste slightly sweet and go great with the squash.
Cranberries: I used dried cranberries in the recipe.The tart taste of berries and bright color adds so much to the pilaf. Plus, it has the perfect Fall flavor too. These can be swapped with pomegranate arils too.
Pepitas: Used to add crunch in an otherwise soft pilaf, these seeds happen to be my favorite for Fall recipes. The roasted ones work well and so do the flavored ones. Using pine nuts or pecans is a great idea too.
Making the dressing for the Pilaf
Pilafs often have some sort of a curry or gravy added to them. This pilaf uses a dressing that is citrusy and super fresh.
The dressing is the reason that the pilaf can work as a salad too. I have added orange juice, lemon juice, ginger, olive oil, salt and pepper to make the dressing. I would recommend not skipping this one in the recipe!
The dressing can be made before hand too. It helps the flavor of ginger to seep into the liquids and makes it even more delicious!
How to save time while making this one
The easiest swap in the recipe is to use store bought cubed squash. This eliminates the cutting time and you head straight to the roasting step.
Plan the steps well. Start with preheating the oven and making the rice. The rice takes 45 minutes to cook.
While that is happening, place the squash to roast. While roasting the squash, caramelize the onions and prepare the dressing.
Once everything is ready; it hardly takes any time to put it together!
Serving this Pilaf
The pilaf tastes great when served warm or at room temperature. If the weather is super cold, I would suggest warming it up before serving.
As a side, this tastes amazing with all kinds of meat entrees, pasta, breads and even with some soup.
Serving this as a main works well too. To do so, just whip up some yogurt with salt, pepper, cumin powder and chopped vegetables. This side would go really well with the Fall inspired pilaf.
Steps
Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel and deseed the butternut squash. Cube them into ½ inch pieces.
Arrange them in a baking tray and drizzle some olive oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper powder.
Bake for 35 minutes, tossing once in between. The pieces should turn golden brown on the edges and tender to poke with a fork.
Cook the red rice as per the package instructions. I added 1 cup of red rice, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup vegetable stock and 1 cup water.
Boil for 45 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed. Let it stand for 5 minutes and discard the bay leaves.
Chop 1 onion into cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the onions. Let them caramelize on the sides. Remove.
To make the dressing mix together orange juice, lime juice, grated ginger, olive oil, salt and pepper.
In a bowl add the red rice, roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions. Add half the dried cranberries and toasted pepitas. Add the ginger dressing and mix well.
Top with remaining pepitas and cranberries. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Gently warm in the microwave before serving.
Butternut Squash Red Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- Red Rice 1 cup
- Vegetable Stock 1 cup
- Water 1 cup
- Butternut Squash 1 medium or ½ large
- Onion 1 medium
- Ginger ½ inch piece
- Dried Cranberries ½ cup
- Pepitas ½ cup
- Orange juice ½ cup
- Lime Juice 1 tsp
- Bay Leaves 2
- Olive Oil 2 ½ tbsp
- Pepper Powder 1 ½ tsp
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel and deseed the butternut squash. Cube them into ½ inch pieces.
- Arrange them in a baking tray and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper powder.
- Bake for 35 minutes, tossing once in between. The pieces should turn golden brown on the edges and tender to poke with a fork.
- Cook the red rice as per the package instructions. I added 1 cup of red rice, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup vegetable stock and 1 cup water.
- Boil for 45 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed. Let it stand for 5 minutes and discard the bay leaves.
- Chop 1 onion into cubes. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil and add the onions. Let them caramelize on the sides. Remove.
- To make the dressing mix together orange juice, lime juice, grated ginger, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.
- In a bowl add the red rice, roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions. Add half the dried cranberries and toasted pepitas. Add the ginger dressing and mix well.
- Top with remaining pepitas and cranberries. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- The leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Gently warm in the microwave before serving.
Yield: 3
Butternut Squash Red Rice Pilaf
A Holiday worthy Pilaf made from red rice; this one has all the Fall favorites like Butternut squash, cranberries, Pepitas and a refreshing citrus dressing!
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 55 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M
Ingredients
- Red Rice 1 cup
- Vegetable Stock 1 cup
- Water 1 cup
- Butternut Squash 1 medium or ½ large
- Onion 1 medium
- Ginger ½ inch piece
- Dried Cranberries ½ cup
- Pepitas ½ cup
- Orange juice ½ cup
- Lime Juice 1 tsp
- Bay Leaves 2
- Olive Oil 2 ½ tbsp
- Pepper Powder 1 ½ tsp
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel and deseed the butternut squash. Cube them into ½ inch pieces.
- Arrange them in a baking tray and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper powder.
- Bake for 35 minutes, tossing once in between. The pieces should turn golden brown on the edges and tender to poke with a fork.
- Cook the red rice as per the package instructions. I added 1 cup of red rice, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup vegetable stock and 1 cup water.
- Boil for 45 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed. Let it stand for 5 minutes and discard the bay leaves.
- Chop 1 onion into cubes. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil and add the onions. Let them caramelize on the sides. Remove.
- To make the dressing mix together orange juice, lime juice, grated ginger, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.
- In a bowl add the red rice, roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions. Add half the dried cranberries and toasted pepitas. Add the ginger dressing and mix well.
- Top with remaining pepitas and cranberries. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- The leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Gently warm in the microwave before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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