Gluten Free Squash and Mushroom Cheesy Rice Casserole

I know what many of you are thinking….my kids don’t like squash OR mushrooms. Okay, fair. Try it anyway!!! And if they do like squash and mushrooms, just go full speed ahead into this recipe because it’s addictive. Plus, it’s gluten free and that cheesy rice flavor is such a great way to introduce kids to squash and mushrooms!

Prep Time: 30 min. Cook Time: 25 min. Servings: 9

Ingredients

• 2 cups yellow squash sliced thin
• 2 cups zucchini sliced thin
• 2 cups mushrooms sliced thin (I use baby bella but white mushrooms work!)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions (I use only the green stems/shoots)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup parmesan grated
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 to 4 cups cooked basmati rice (1 cup of dried basmati is about 3 cups cooked, so I use 1 1/2 cup dried basmati for this recipe)
• 2 cups gluten free bread crumbs (I simply save all stale gluten free bread we have and grind it and refrigerate it for these kind of recipes!)
• 1/2 cup butter melted

Directions

Step One

Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by buttering it on bottom and all sides. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Next, cook your rice. I use 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice to 2 1/4 cups of water. I add the rice/water at the same time, bring to a bowl, stir once, and immediately move to a low simmer with pot covered. It typically takes about twenty minutes to cook, however, that may differ based on your altitude. I’m in Colorado 🙂 Pull off the stove as soon as it is done.

Step Two

First, slice your squash, zucchini and mushrooms. Place them in a pot with the garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper, onions and chicken broth. Cook them covered on simmer, about twenty minutes max, until everything is tender. Pull off the stove.

Step Three

In a small pan, melt your butter and gradually add in your bread crumbs. We like our bread crumbs pretty crispy, so the mixture is not going to be soupy, it should clump a bit.

Step Four

Finally, grab a large mixing bowl and add sour cream, grated parmesan, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk and mix. Next, add in your rice, squash/zucchini/mushroom/onion mix and stir. Do NOT add your bread crumb mix yet!!!!

Step Five

Assemble your casserole! Pour the entire large squash mix into the casserole dish. Smooth it out a bit if needed using a spatula. Last step – spread the bread crumb/butter mix on top. Place in the oven uncovered and set timer to twenty minutes to check it! It should be done at about twenty-five minutes, but I always suggest checking things a bit early because every oven and climate for cooking is different. Pull it out of the oven and serve after cooling for a few minutes. This recipe is great for leftovers and reheating!