Photo of Mushroom and wild rice slow-cooker stew by WW

Mushroom and wild rice slow-cooker stew

5
Points®
Total Time
7 hr 17 min
Prep
17 min
Cook
7 hr
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Mushroom stand in for chicken in this vegetarian, seven-ingredient take on the classic and well-loved stew. Browning the leeks and mushrooms before they go into the slow cooker builds flavor, bringing out their natural sweetness, and adds color. You can skip that step if you are pressed for time, but you can taste the difference in the final dish. Wild rice (which is actually the seed of an aquatic grass) has a nutty, earthy flavor and a distinct chewy texture that makes it lovely to bite into in this stew. It absorbs water and cooks slowly, so preparing it in the slow cooker is ideal.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1½ tsp

Uncooked leeks

2 cup(s), finely chopped, white parts only (about 2 large leeks)

Dried shiitake mushroom

2 cup(s), sliced, sliced

Carrots

1 cup(s), diced

Vegetable broth

3 cup(s)

Table salt

1 tsp

Uncooked wild rice

1 cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add leeks and mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. (Note: If you’re in a hurry, skip this step and simply add all the ingredients directly to the slow cooker.)
  2. Spoon leeks and mushrooms into a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add carrots, broth, salt and rice; cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.