Bake a pan of polenta until it gets crispy at the edges, and then top it with anything your heart desires. Here, roasted summer vegetables pair with fontina, a mild melting cheese. But this is a fantastic recipe all year long: try it in the fall or winter with butternut squash, mushrooms and Gorgonzola; serve with a salad of field greens.
Polenta with Fontina and Roasted Vegetables
3 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for pans
1 small eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm.) pieces
2 small zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm.) pieces
2 small yellow summer squash, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm.) pieces
1/2 red onion, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm.) pieces
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm.) pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup (7 oz./220 g.) stone-ground polenta
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup (4 oz./125 g.) grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 oz./250 g.) shredded fontina cheese
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Oil a rimmed baking sheet and an 8-inch (20-cm.) baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, red onion and bell pepper. Drizzle with the 3 tablespoons oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast, tossing once, until the vegetables are caramelized, 20-25 minutes. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).
Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, bring 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l.) salted water to a boil over medium heat. Stirring constantly, very slowly add the polenta. Cook, stirring constantly, until the polenta begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the polenta, stirring frequently, until the polenta is soft, about 25 minutes. Add the butter, Parmesan and fontina and stir until the cheeses melt. Pour the polenta into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
Bake just until the polenta begins to set, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and top evenly with the roasted vegetables. Continue to bake until the vegetables are heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve the polenta directly from the dish. Serves 6.
Find more simple one-dish dinners in our cookbook One Pot of the Day by Kate McMillan.
21 comments
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I replaced the fontina with 1 cup of gouda and the parmesan with 1/2 cup of pizza blend (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano). Such a wonderful cheesy, buttery taste from the polenta and the vegetables were a packaged frozen blend. I roasted the veggies in the toaster oven while the polenta baked the oven. Wonderful flavors coming together. Will make this dish again!!
this was delicious comfort food!
i also cut cheese in half.
i roasted sweet potato, carrot, celery root, rutabaga, beets, onion and zucchini.
warmed up great in a frying pan the 2nd day for dinner. very enjoyable.
excited to try an onion, garlic, mushroom combination next time.
[…] Recipe & Photo credit to blog.williams-sonoma.com […]
Good recipe but way too much cheese. I didn’t see the other reviews before I made it unfortunately. Next time I’m going to cut the amount of cheese in half.
Just made this for dinner tonight – it was very good (despite the fact I didn’t let the polenta ‘set’ enough before I added the roasted veggies so it was quite mushy). I used Sarah’s suggestions regarding the amounts of cheese and I’d say it was just right – more cheese would have been too much. I will definitely make this recipe again.
This recipe was delicious and not hard to make. Everyone loved it. I will definitely be using less cheese next time though – I even reduced it based on the previous comment to 3/4 cup parm and 1.5 cup shredded fontina, but it was STILL so much cheese! I will cut in half (1/2 cup parm, 1 cup shredded fontina) when I make it next. I promise, won’t even taste like a “healther” version… just normal!
This recipe was good, though I will definitely be using less cheese next time- all I could taste was the cheese, the polenta was completely lost. I went autumnal and roasted a delicata squash, some portobellos, sweet potato and carrots to go on the polenta. There was also definitely a lack of texture going on, a crusty bread would probably solve that though. All in all, a good way to add variety to fall and winter veggies.
So do you “bake just until the polenta begins to set” (in recipe) or “until it gets crispy at the edges” (in the intro) before adding the roasted vegetables? Those sound like two different times.
There is no mention of how much polenta or butter! Maybe that is mentioned on the box or bag of polenta you purchase? Sounded like a good recipe, but this is confusing.
Along with the polenta measurements, you forgot the butter. How much of both?
Hi Colleen — 2 tablespoons.
Hi all, thanks for catching the typo! The recipe calls for 1 cup (7 oz./220 g.) of stone-ground polenta
and 2 Tbs. unsalted butter — the recipe has been updated. We apologize for the confusion and hope you enjoy!
No butter measurement, either. (The more the better??)
The recipe uses 1 cup polenta.
So, how much polenta? 3/4 cup or 1 cup????
How much polenta???
This recipe sounds great, but you didn’t include the polenta in your ingredients. How much polenta do you use?
How much polenta is required in this recipe? There is no mention of it in the ingredients list.
1 cup (7 oz./220 g.) stone-ground polenta