Baked Polenta With Roasted Mushrooms
Published Nov. 1, 2024
- Total Time
- 2 hours, plus at least 2 hours’ cooling
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1¾ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½cups polenta
- Salt
- 5cups water
- 2tablespoons salted butter, plus more for greasing pan
- ½cup grated Parmesan
- 2ounces Gorgonzola, in ½-inch cubes
- 8ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼-inch thick
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1pound cultivated large button mushrooms, cut in quarters
- 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼cup roughly chopped parsley
- 2garlic cloves, grated
- 1teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
476 calories; 28 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 908 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the polenta: In a heavy pot over high heat, put polenta, 2 teaspoons salt and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat, whisking well as the mixture begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and let polenta cook, whisking occasionally, for 20 minutes until grain has swelled. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform baking dish. Using a rubber spatula, add polenta and smooth the top.
- Step 3
Sprinkle polenta with Parmesan, dot with Gorgonzola and top with mozzarella. Bake on the middle rack until browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Turn the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Cool for about 2 hours at room temperature or refrigerate up to overnight to set.
- Step 4
Before serving, reheat the polenta and prepare mushrooms: Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 5
To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and half of the mushrooms, cut-side down. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
- Step 6
Transfer the mushrooms to a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 10 minutes. (Use this time and temperature to reheat the polenta in the oven. You may need more time, depending on whether you cooled your polenta at room temperature or chilled it in the refrigerator. If reheating from chilled, cover with aluminum foil.)
- Step 7
In a large bowl, combine parsley, garlic, lemon and crushed red pepper, and, using your fingers, combine. Add roasted mushrooms and toss to incorporate. Serve on a dish next to the polenta, if you’d like, or on top of the casserole.
Private Notes
Comments
People are always so concerned about the stirring of the polenta. Indeed, it is messy and boring However, 25 years ago I learned to make polenta in the oven--nothing to it! Just put the ground cornmeal plus water plus a knob of butter and some salt in a big oven proof pot put it in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour or until it's tender. Let it sit off the stove to thicken until you can spread it or eat it or whatever you wanna do with it. Cheese can be added anytime toward the end. Basically no work at all!
I like to minimize the cooking time of polenta since it splatters the hand that stirs it. I soak polenta in less than half the final volume of salted water for about 30 minutes. For this recipe I'd use 2 cups of water. I bring the rest of the water to a boil (here 3 cups), then add the soaked polenta. It thickens quite quickly after the mix returns to a boil. If cheese in going into the polenta, I stir it in just after I turn off the heat.
This was super tasty. A few comments: 1) The polenta didn't need the second "brown and bubbly" in step 3. It was fine after the first 45 minutes of cooking. 2) The polenta needed the cooling step to firm it up. 3) The mushrooms were fine cooked entirely in the skillet. No need to put into the oven. 4) I browned some sausage (sorry, vegetarians) to add to the mushrooms and also threw in spinach until wilted. Cherry tomatoes would have also been a good touch. Maybe top with a fried egg. Why not?
Was glad to see the question, "why in the world do I have to mix the gremolata with my fingers?" I have a vivid image of those tasty ingredients sticking to my fingers! Still, I look forward to making this dish. But I'll mix the gremolata with a fork.
Loved the polenta; could see making a half recipe of it so it is thinner in the pan, though. The gremolata treatment was ok but didn't wow us. I'll make this polenta again but plan to experiment on the toppings.
Fun presentation for a dinner party, but flavor-wise, you can grate cheese over the first cooking of the polenta, roast the mushrooms, and be ready for weeknight dinner much sooner.
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