What I've Done - Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

This one comes to you courtesy of Picky Palate.  I have trouble getting Robert to like brown rice.  I grew up eating it so it tastes totally normal to me, but Robert is used to eating white rice so brown rice tastes dry and gross to him.  The compromise - wild rice.  Plus, we had half a bag in our pantry and needed to use it somehow.

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced (I didn't have any so I skipped it, but I'm sure it would be a nice addition)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic (I used garlic powder)
2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast (boiled)
2 Cups steamed white rice (I used brown rice, and Robert couldn't even tell!!!)
16 oz prepared wild rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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Cheese Sauce (I totally skipped all the cheese sauce stuff and substituted it with a can of cream of chicken.  We're pretty sure cheese triggers headaches for me, so I'm attempting to avoid it when possible.)
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.
2.  To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve.

*I cooked and baked mine in an iron skillet.  I'm anemic and will take any extra iron I can get!  Did you know that cooking in an iron skillet amps up the iron in the food you're cooking?  It's an easy way to get extra iron.

Robert said this was a dish worth making again so that's always a good sign!