Fall veggie season is definitely in full swing. I love the fact that fall is here. The food is so different and more “homey” that it is in the summer. Now, I get to curl up with a nice bowl of soup or some apple pie in front of the fire in my wood stove. I couldn’t do that over the summer. Don’t get me wrong, the summer offers some really great dishes to choose from, but fall…I don’t know. I just think this time of year is nice for so many reasons.
The Recipe
This is a very good side dish to serve during Thanksgiving dinner. It’s got the staples in there. Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and mushrooms. Each of these ingredients is good in its own right. I really don’t eat Brussels sprouts all that often, which is strange. I truly enjoy them. There are quite a few ways to prepare them and they seem easy enough to handle. Also, the flavor can really shine through if cooked correctly. Butternut squash is probably the bulk of this dish. It’s the ingredient that’s going to fill you up. I like to compare the butternut squash to the sweet potato, but they’re actually rather different. They might look the same, but their flavors and textures are distinct from one another. They do both fill you up though, so that’s a plus.
Finally, we have the mighty mushroom. I can’t get enough of these things. In today’s recipe, all the veggies are roasted, but I’ve eaten mushrooms after they’ve been browned in a skillet and they are awesome. But today, they offer a good texture and some “meat” to the dish. They have a sort of consistency to them when they’re bitten into.
As for the remaining ingredients, including the hard red wheat, don’t dismiss them. The wheat adds a wonderful texture and flavor to the dish and everything else fills in all the gaps. All in all, if you made enough of what I’m about to share with you, you could certainly place it in a dish on your Thanksgiving Day table. For that, I’d triple up on the ingredients.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
1 1/2 Cups Hard Red Wheat
2 Cups Butternut Squash, Peeled and Cubed
2 Cups White Button Mushrooms, Quartered
2 Cups Brussels Sprouts, Quartered
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Tahini
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley
Step-by-Step Instructions
I’d like to thank Delish for this recipe. Again, they’ve outdone themselves and as I said in an earlier post, I’ll be sharing a lot of these types of recipes. They are some of my favorites.
Cook the Hard Red Wheat
Since this takes the longest, I figured I would get going on it first. I filled a medium sized saucepan with three cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then, I boiled the water over high heat. I added the hard red wheat, covered the pot, reduced the heat to low and let everything cook for 60 minutes. This is typical of wheats like this.
Pre-Heat the Oven
Make sure one of your oven racks is in the center position and then pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Prep the Vegetables
While the wheat is cooking and the oven is warming up, go ahead and prep the vegetables. I cubed the butternut squash, halved the Brussels sprouts and quartered the mushrooms.
Roast the Vegetables
Combine the squash, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add three tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl, along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Mix these vegetables up until they are all coated with the oil.
Next, spread the contents of the bowl out on a large baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven for about 45 minutes. The veggies should begin to brown when they are finished. When that happens, remove the tray from the oven and turn off the heat. Remove the vegetables from the baking sheet and place them in a large bowl.
Prepare the Dressing
Add the lemon juice, three tablespoons of olive oil, the parsley, garlic and tahini to a bowl. Also add a few pinches of salt and pepper to the bowl. You can add more later to taste.
Next, use a small hand blender to combine these ingredients.
Plate & Serve
Divide the vegetables between bowls. Then, scoop some hard red wheat on top of the vegetables. You may need to drain the wheat if there’s water left over. Also, you can serve the dressing on the side or drizzle it over the vegetables. Enjoy!
The Final Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Vegetable Bowl
I’d say this recipe was fairly straightforward. There were no curve balls, although, there was a bit of time necessary to cook up the wheat and the vegetables. I’d say this dish is a win. I’d make it again. I really enjoyed it. Great flavors, texture and presentation. If you decide to give this side dish a try, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment down below. Thanks for reading!
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