Tomato-Basil Wild Rice 

I’m excited to bring the pesto flavors of a popular pasta salad to your Yom Tov table with this healthful and tasty wild rice dish. It’s really simple and quick to create, and special enough for a seudah or any type of occasion! 

SERVES 6 

• oil, for sauteing
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 pint (280 g) multicolored grape tomatoes, rinsed and sliced in half lengthwise
• 2 cubes frozen crushed garlic
• 3 cups water
• ¾ cup brown rice
• ¾ cup wild rice blend
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cubes frozen chopped basil
• pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to broil. Heat oil for sauteing in a medium pot and add onion. Saute onion until golden. While the onion is sauteing, place grape tomatoes in a baking pan, spray with cooking spray, and toss to coat. Broil on the lower rack of your oven until they begin to shrivel and blacken slightly, about 25 minutes.

Add garlic to sauted onion, stir, and continue to saute an additional 2 minutes. Add water, both types of rice, and salt; bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover pot, and simmer 20–30 minutes, until rice is soft and water is absorbed. Add basil and black pepper to taste. Add broiled tomatoes to pot and stir gently to combine. Serve warm.

Tip: To save time, you can prep the veggies mixed with spices for the wild rice before Yom Tov. Then cook up fresh rice before the seudah and mix them in.

(Originally featured in FamilyTable, Issue 661)