Baked Polenta with Mushrooms
Baked polenta layered with mushrooms is the perfect side dish with pot roast, beef stew or braised chicken. This polenta is partially cooked on top of the stove and then is finished in the oven, which substantially reduces the amount of time required to stir the boiling polenta by hand. It will emerge from the oven soft and creamy with an attractive golden crown. Use any finely milled cornmeal, either the type for making corn bread or the Italian cornmeal often sold simply as polenta. Coarse-ground or stone-ground cornmeal is also suitable, but will require 1 cup more water for the first stage of cooking.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients — the other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 10 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Shiitake | 1/2 cup (73g) | 34 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lb. white mushrooms, brushed clean, stems removed and caps coarsely chopped
- 1/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, brushed clean, stems removed and caps coarsely chopped
- 1/4 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean, stems removed and caps coarsely chopped
- 1 Tbs. tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, or more, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups 1-percent-fat milk
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 3 cups water
- 4 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese