In saucepan combine wild rice and 3 cups stock. (Original recipe added salt, but I didn’t think it needed it.)

Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender, about 60 minutes. or longer if the rice has been stored for a while. (I cooked the wild rice at the lowest possible simmer, in a pan with a very tight fitting lid. You will probably need to check after a few minutes, and possibly add some water during the cooking time, depending on how old the wild rice is, how tight the lid is on your pan, and how low your stove burner goes.)

Rice should be tender to the bite with some grains starting to break apart when it’s done.

Dump rice into colander and let it drain well. Begin preheating oven to 350F/175C.

In medium sized frying pan, cook sausage over medium-high heat until it is lightly browned. I use a potato masher (affiliate link) to break the sausage into small pieces as it cooks.

Drain off any excess fat and add sausage to the cooked rice. Put drained rice and sausage into a mixing bowl.

Wipe out pan with a paper towel if there is a lot of fat, then heat 1 T butter, add onions and cook on low until starting to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped thyme and cook 2 minutes more. Add thyme/onion mixture to the rice.

Add 1 T more butter to frying pan as needed, add chopped mushrooms and saute until lightly browned and all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms to the wild rice mixture.

Add the chopped parsley and ½ cup stock and season with black pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to glass or crockery casserole dish with a lid.

Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.