Margherita Polenta Casserole

Doesn’t this look amazing? Cheese, tomatoes, basil. It should be amazing. It’s marginally better than okay.  This would be a great way to use garden tomatoes. Maybe add more. Maybe add more basil. Maybe have the salad I planned to have, but didn’t, alongside it.  Maybe use less parmesan. Maybe the parmesan would be just fine if it didn’t come in a generic cardboard container from superstore. J

I would make it again. I would make it for company, provided I had enough other things to go alongside it. So...... I encourage you to try it, if you’re looking for a new weeknight meal.

Here goes:

Margherita Polenta Casserole

4 ½ cups water
2 cubes chicken stock (or vegetable)
1 1/2 cups purity cornmeal
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for baking dish
5 leaves basil, roughly chopped
 
Preheat oven to 350º F and butter your baking dish.

In a medium pot, bring chicken stock and generously salted water to a boil. Turn heat down to low and slowly whisk in cornmeal. Let simmer and cook, continuously stirring, until tender. About 10 minutes. Whisk in butter.

Pour 1/3 of polenta into casserole dish and spread a layer of mozzarella and cheddar on top.

Repeat with another layer of polenta, then cheeses, and continue with remaining ingredients. I put the first 1/3 cup of cherry tomatoes in this layer, plus a little parmesan.

Top final layer of polenta with chopped basil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until cheese is melted and polenta is golden.

Enjoy.