A warm bowl of creamy polenta is about as comforting as it gets, which makes it a great foundation for a meatless meal. To make the polenta ahead of time, follow the method in the recipe, using only 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) water, then pour the cooked polenta into a baking dish and let set in the refrigerator. Just before serving, simply rewarm the polenta in the oven, or cut it into triangles, brush with olive oil and warm in a grill pan or fry pan.
Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup (5 oz./155 g) polenta
- 3/4 lb. (375 g) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) brussels sprouts, halved
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (3 oz./90 g) shredded fontina cheese
- 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Method
Preheat an oven to 450°F (230°C).
In a large pot over high heat, bring 5 cups (40 fl. oz./1.25 l) of water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil. Stir in the polenta and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the polenta is soft and smooth, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, pile the squash and brussels sprouts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season well with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables into a single layer and roast, stirring once about halfway through, until fork-tender and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you finish the polenta.
Once the polenta is soft, stir in the butter and cheeses until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the polenta into bowls, top with the roasted vegetables and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Find ways to make hectic suppers into fun, relaxed gatherings that the whole family can enjoy in our cookbook School Night, by Kate McMillan.
10 comments
Absolutely delicious, a new family favorite! I didn’t make any revision but my roasted veggies took slightly longer (oven times can vary)
[…] The Creamy, Cheesy Polenta Dish You’ll Want This Fall — Williams-Sonoma Taste […]
seeing melted cheese like that really can’t hold.
[…] Polenta with roasted veggies […]
I’ve tried making this twice, once with pre-made polenta and once with dry polenta. So far as I can tell, the recipe calls for just far too much water. Both times i’ve ended up with a disgusting polenta soup, watery with clumps of cheese. Maybe I’m misreading the directions and stirring it too much and for too long or something, but this recipe has left me deeply disappointed and embarrassed both times I’ve used it.
The vegetables are good.
The cooking times for the roasted vegetables are slightly off. The Brussels sprouts halves were roasted and done far before the butternut squash cubes (1/2 inch cubes) so even though I pulled off the sprouts from the pan and kept them warm while the squash cubes finished, the sprouts were still way over-roasted. I don’t mind a bit of brown leaves but these were almost burned. I did like the addition of the balsamic vinegar for a sweet/sour taste. Also I’d lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and start the squash cubes first and then add the sprouts. Suggest using a non-stick pan for the polenta as it stuck to my stainless steel pan leaving quite a bit of the polenta unusable. Following this recipe, the polenta needed a lot of salt and was really quite bland for the amount of cheese used. I’ll double the cheeses next time or maybe add some smoked gouda or smoked cheddar for a richer cheese flavor. You CAN cook the polenta ahead of time and chill and it will congeal so you can slice it and warm up before serving. I prefer the polenta to be thick and gooey for this recipe so I won’t cook ahead of time.
The caption under the picture says to refrigerate the polenta, then grill it… The recipe says cook and serve immediately…
The caption says ‘if you want to make the polenta ahead of time’….
[…] Inspiration: William Sonoma […]
sounds yummy