Harvest Veggies over Creamy Polenta

This hearty, vegetarian dish hits all the Fall tasting notes seasoned by warm flavors paired with a creamy polenta. 

Inspiration:

This hearty, vegetarian dish hits all the Fall tasting notes seasoned by warm flavors paired with creamy polenta.

Fall favorite vegetables are roasted at high heat to get nice and crispy, then served over a bowl of creamy polenta.

Polenta is a wonderful athlete-friendly dish made of corn meal that is easy to incorporate into your diet. In addition, it’s a great source of low-glycemic carbs that are gluten-free. Consider using polenta in place of pasta or rice.

This simple dish can wow a crowd or is substantial enough to serve as a main course for a family dinner. Balsamic roasted veggies are paired with a creamy polenta to make this dish a “must-make”.

Ingredients:

serves 4-6

Polenta:
1 tube Italian Polenta
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup parmesan, grated

Roasted Veggies:
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 lb brussels sprouts, cleaned + halved
1 acorn squash, cut into 1” chunks
3 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt & pepper

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 450F.

Place the veggies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine. Season with cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper. 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.

While your veggies are roasting, make the creamy polenta. Cut 1 tube of Italian Polenta into 1” cubes. Place the cubes of polenta in a medium sized saucepan and cover with chicken stock. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cubes of polenta have softened and broken down. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. You can use an immersion blender to help make things nice and creamy. Lower the heat to simmer and stir in the parmesan.

Remove veggies from oven, give the polenta a stir, and it’s time enjoy.

In shallow bowls, serve creamy polenta topped with a spoonful of warm, roasted veggies. Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan and drizzle of balsamic.

A quick note

Pro tip: the secret to most-excellent roasted vegetables is to cook them at a high heat and don’t crowd the pan. Crowded pans lead to steamed vs roasted vegetables. I often spread out over two pans to achieve that roasted-veggie crisp that we all know and love.

Look for pre-cooked polenta found in tubes in the pasta section at grocery stores. Slow-cooked polenta can take up to an hour to make. This is a great short cut for those of us that are short on time.