Wild Rice Casserole

Wild rice has a nutty flavor and was originally harvested by Native Americans, who still use a long pole to bend marsh grasses over their canoes and another pole to hit the stalks to loosen the grains. Natural aquatic grasses produce a brown or reddish grain, while cultivated wild rice is black.

    1 ¼ cups orzo pasta
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 (6-ounce) box Uncle Ben's® Long Grain and Wild Rice
    Original Recipe with 23 Herbs & Seasonings
    1 cup chopped yellow onion
    2 cups chopped brown crimini mushrooms
    1 teaspoon seasoning salt
    ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    ½ teaspoon dried parsley
    2 ⅓ cups water
    Garlic salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°. Bring water to boil in a 12-quart
     stock pot. Cook the orzo pasta until cooked but not mushy.
     Drain immediately or the orzo will soak up more water.

2.  Melt the butter in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Fry rice mix, onions,
     and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add the herb packet, salt,
     pepper parsley, water and pasta.

3.  Cover and bake 30 minutes. Season to taste with garlic salt.

     Makes 6 servings