Description

Inspired by Hungarian mushroom soup, these wild rice, chickpea, and mushroom loaded baked potatoes feature a creamy cashew-based “sour cream” sauce, paprika, dill, and quick-pickled beets for a fabulous, hearty vegan meal!

Ingredients

Scale

2–4 russet potatoes (depending on size and your appetites, aim for 1/2 a large potato or 1 small potato per person)

Wild Rice

1/2 cup wild rice
Scant 1 cup water
Pinch of fine sea salt

Quick-Pickled Beets

2 medium beets, stemmed and peeled
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Pinch of chili flakes

Veggies and Chickpeas

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
5 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
6 heaping cups sliced cremini mushrooms (from 1.25 pounds whole mushrooms)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
2 cups cooked chickpeas

Cheesy Cashew Sour Cream

1 cup raw cashews, soaked and drained (see note)
2–4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and pierce each one a few times with a fork. Bake for 60-70 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes, until fork tender all the way through.
Meanwhile, cook the wild rice: Combine the water, wild rice, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stir, and turn down heat to low. Cover and cook for 45-60 minutes, until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed.
Make the quick-pickled beets: These can be made well in advance, if desired. Grate the beets in a food processor or a box grater and place in a heatproof 16-oz jar. Combine the water, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, maple syrup, and chili flakes in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and pour over the grated beets. Set aside until everything else is ready. Note: Leftover beets keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for at least a week.
Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the pepper, smoked paprika, and mushrooms. Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated off of the mushrooms and they are nicely browned, about ten minutes. Finally, mix in the fresh dill and the chickpeas, followed by the wild rice.
Make the cheesy cashew sour cream: In a blender, combine the cashews, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, and water. Blend until very smooth. Pour three quarters of this cream over the wild rice/mushroom/chickpeas mixture and stir to incorporate. Reserve the remainder for spooning on top of the loaded potatoes right before serving.
To serve, slice the baked potatoes in half, lightly mash the flesh with a fork, and spoon the creamy rice, chickpeas, and mushrooms over top. Add a dollop of cashew sour cream, followed by the quick-pickled beets and a sprinkle of chopped dill.

Notes

Soak cashews for 1 hour in boiling water, or at least 4 hours in cool water, to soften.

If not using home-cooked chickpeas, you can use 1 14-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. You’ll only have 1 1/2 cups, but that’s okay in a pinch.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: Eastern European

Keywords: Hungarian wild rice, mushroom, and chickpea baked potatoes