Baked polenta with tomato sauce is a classic Italian dish that is both hearty and flavorful. Polenta is a porridge made from cornmeal that is cooked until thick and creamy. It is then baked in the oven with a rich tomato sauce, creating a crispy crust and a tender interior. This dish is often served with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
This article provides two different recipes for baked polenta with tomato sauce. The first recipe is a traditional version that uses basic ingredients like cornmeal, water, and tomatoes. The second recipe is a more modern take on the dish that incorporates roasted vegetables and a creamy goat cheese sauce. Both recipes are easy to follow and can be tailored to your own taste preferences.
In addition to the baked polenta recipes, this article also includes a recipe for a simple tomato sauce that can be used with either dish. The tomato sauce is made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil, and can be simmered for as long as you like to develop a rich and flavorful sauce.
Whether you are looking for a classic Italian dish or a more modern twist on a traditional favorite, this article has something for everyone. So grab your ingredients and get ready to enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal of baked polenta with tomato sauce.
BAKED POLENTA WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND PARMESAN
This recipe is a perfect way to highlight and use fresh summer tomatoes. It makes a great side dish for grilled chicken or pork chops.
Provided by rjohl
Categories Side Dish Grain Side Dish Recipes Polenta Recipes
Time 40m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
- Place the water, milk, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the polenta and stir with a wooden spoon until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup Parmesan cheese and 2 chopped basil leaves; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the polenta to the prepared baking dish and arrange the remaining chilled pieces of butter over the top.
- Bake the polenta in the preheated oven until bubbly and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Decoratively arrange the slices of tomato over the top of the polenta, spread the remaining basil leaves over the tomatoes, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Return to the oven and bake until the tomatoes are warm and the Parmesan cheese is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 427.6 calories, Carbohydrate 37.5 g, Cholesterol 56.5 mg, Fat 21.1 g, Fiber 3.4 g, Protein 22.4 g, SaturatedFat 11.9 g, Sodium 1013 mg, Sugar 6.8 g
BAKED POLENTA WITH A TOMATO SAUCE
This is a very tasty, filling meal. It can be used as a side dish or as a main course. For those following Weight Watchers, the whole recipe provides 16.5 points, assuming you use low fat cheese. Prep time includes time for the polenta to set.
Provided by Shuzbud
Categories Low Protein
Time 2h40m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
- Pour 3 cups of cold water into a saucepan and turn the heat up to high.
- Add 1 cup polenta/ cornmeal gradually, stirring until it is all mixed in.
- Stir in the paprika and nutmeg.
- Heat until boiling, then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. NB: The polenta may spit if not stirred so be careful!
- When the polenta has thickened at the end of the 2 minutes, remove from the heat. Line a loaf pan with cling film/ saran wrap and pour the polenta in
- Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 2 hours until solid.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and cook the onion and garlic, stirring, for 3 minutes until soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, turn the polenta onto a chopping board and remove the cling film. Cut it into about 18 squares. Slices can also be used if they fit your baking tray better.
- Pour a third of the tomato sauce into a baking tray, top with half the polenta squares. Repeat the layers ending with sauce (alternatively I use a large shallow baking tray so I use a single layer of polenta squares with tomato sauce underneath and poured over the top).
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle the cheese over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
POLENTA WITH PARMESAN AND TOMATO SAUCE
This is my favorite way to serve polenta, and it's the simplest, too. My son loves it -- maybe your kids will feel the same.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, weekday, main course
Time 1h15m
Yield Serves four
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the butter and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the Parmesan, if using. Spoon onto plates, make a depression in the middle and spoon 1/4 heaped cup of simple tomato sauce into the depression. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 219, UnsaturatedFat 2 grams, Carbohydrate 39 grams, Fat 5 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 880 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 0 grams
CHEESY BAKED POLENTA IN TOMATO SAUCE
This recipe is quite forgiving in that there's plenty of wiggle room to play. Use whatever herbs and cheeses you have on hand, for example, adjust the spice levels as preferred, and opt for fresh tomatoes if they're in season, or chopped canned tomatoes instead of whole. You can also veganize the dish entirely by using a nondairy milk and vegan cheese, adding some nutritional yeast if you like. This hearty main needs nothing more than some lightly cooked greens to eat alongside.
Provided by Yotam Ottolenghi
Categories dinner, casseroles, main course
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Cut out a piece of parchment paper about 16-by-12 inches/40-by-30 centimeters in size and lay onto a clean work surface.
- Prepare the polenta: Add the milk, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to a medium saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the polenta, whisking continuously, until completely incorporated and there are no lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the while with a spatula. When cooked, the mixture should pull away from the sides of the pan and be quite thick.
- Add the Parmesan, stirring for another 30 seconds to melt. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to the parchment paper. Use your hands to quickly shape the polenta into a large cylindrical shape, about 13-inches/32-centimeters long. Use the parchment paper to help you tighten the cylinder and then gently roll the whole thing in the paper, tightening as you go, then twisting in opposite directions at both ends. Refrigerate to set for about 1 hour, or longer if time allows.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: Add the olive oil to a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan that is roughly 11-inches/28-centimeters wide, and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until softened and lightly colored.
- Stir in the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, a scant 1/2 cup/100 milliliters water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside until needed.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius.
- Gently unwrap the chilled polenta and transfer to a cutting board. Trim about 1 inch/2 to 3 centimeters off the ends and then cut the polenta into 24 (1-centimeter-thick) slices.
- Top the tomato sauce evenly with the sliced fontina, then fan out the polenta slices, overlapping slightly, so that they're spiraled to cover the top, leaving a 1-centimeter gap from the edge of the pan. Drizzle the polenta with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until polenta is golden in places and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to settle.
- While the polenta cools, in a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients. Sprinkle a handful of the topping over the polenta and serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm.
EASY POLENTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE
My entire family loves this recipe. A quick baked polenta topped with red sauce. Very easy to make and great the next day too (and the day after that!) Top with additional Parmesan cheese if you like.
Provided by Jacquita
Categories Side Dish Grain Side Dish Recipes Polenta Recipes
Time 20m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch square baking dish.
- In a large pot, combine the milk and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it is at a rolling boil, gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Pour the polenta into the prepared baking dish, and spread spaghetti sauce over the top.
- Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until sauce is bubbling.
PAN-SEARED POLENTA WITH SPICY TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE
Provided by Kate Fogarty
Categories Tomato Bake Vegetarian High Fiber Dinner Pan-Fry Low Cholesterol Hominy/Cornmeal/Masa Bon Appétit
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish on rimmed baking sheet. Combine 8 cups water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 teaspoons salt in dish. Gradually mix in polenta.
- Place baking sheet with polenta in oven. Bake polenta 1 hour. Add pepper and stir to blend. Bake 20 minutes. Stir again and spread evenly. Bake until polenta is very thick, about 20 minutes longer. Cool polenta to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours (polenta will become firm). Using metal spatula, press polenta all over to even thickness. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut polenta lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 6 squares. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares. Sauté until crisp and beginning to color, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer polenta to small baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining polenta, adding oil to skillet as needed.
- Divide polenta among plates. Top with warm Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.
- Sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal.
- What to drink:
- A medium-bodied red Italian wine is great with the spicy sauce. One to try: Montresor NV "Il Veronese" Valpolicella ($14), a lovely red blend with dried fruit flavors and vanilla notes.
Tips:
- Use a good quality polenta that is made from stone-ground cornmeal. This will give your polenta a better flavor and texture.
- Be sure to cook the polenta according to the package directions. This will ensure that it is cooked through and has the right consistency.
- If you want a creamier polenta, add more milk or water. If you want a firmer polenta, add less liquid.
- Feel free to add other ingredients to your polenta, such as cheese, vegetables, or herbs.
- Polenta can be served as a main course or a side dish. It can also be used to make other dishes, such as polenta fries or polenta cakes.
Conclusion:
Baked polenta with tomato sauce is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is easy to make and can be tailored to your own personal taste. Whether you serve it as a main course or a side dish, polenta is sure to be a hit. So next time you are looking for a new and exciting dish to try, give baked polenta with tomato sauce a try. You won't be disappointed!
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