Baked Polenta With Mushrooms & Gorgonzola Or Gouda (Vegetarian)

10-15m
Prep Time
40-45m
Cook Time
50m
Ready In


"I've lived my life as a happy carnivore & will keep it that way, but I do have family & friends of the vegetarian persuasion that I must occ take care to please. Just recently, realsimpledotcom published a recipe series that put a spotlight on recipes they saw as the best of the vegetarian lifestyle. This particular recipe got my vote as the "best of the best" for several reasons, mainly because I esp like the combo of ingredients. But on its own, it works as a vegetarian main-course when served w/a salad, bread & dessert. For a carnivore menu, it works well as a starter course or as a side-dish w/any meat course & is also an easy-fix to boot. I hope you agree & will give it a try (Times were given, but revised by me to be more realistic & allow time for ingredient prep) ENJOY!"

Original is 8 servings

Nutritional

  • Serving Size: 1 (126.3 g)
  • Calories 190.4
  • Total Fat - 16.6 g
  • Saturated Fat - 6.5 g
  • Cholesterol - 28.5 mg
  • Sodium - 789.7 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate - 4.6 g
  • Dietary Fiber - 1.2 g
  • Sugars - 2.9 g
  • Protein - 7.4 g
  • Calcium - 147.5 mg
  • Iron - 0.6 mg
  • Vitamin C - 0.3 mg
  • Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Heat oven to 350F. Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil. Whisking constantly, slowly add the polenta. Add 1 1/2 tsp of the salt & the butter. Reduce heat & simmer (stirring freq) for 10-15 min. Stir in the cream cheese & 1/2 cup of the Gorgonzola.

Step 2

Meanwhile in a lrg skillet over med-high heat, warm 2 tbsp of the oil. Add half the mushrooms & cook for 6 min. Add half the shallot & cook 2 min more. Transfer to a dish. Repeat w/the remaining oil, mushrooms & shallot (if needed). Season the mushrooms w/the pepper, thyme & the remaining salt.

Step 3

Butter an 8 or 9-in baking dish or 8 6-oz ramekins. Stir 2/3 of the mushrooms into the polenta & transfer to the prepared dish or ramekins. Top w/the remaining mushrooms & Gorgonzola. Bake (uncovered) until the Gorgonzola has melted (about 15 min).

NOTE RE YIELD: The # of servings depends on intended use. IMO, this would generously serve 4 as a vegetarian main-course or 8 as a starter course or side dish. ... btw, about discarding those mushroom stems - Not happening at my house! :-)


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2 Reviews

Northwestgal

This was an easy dish to make. For the cheese, I opted for gorgonzola, and I think we might have enjoyed the dish a bit more if I had used gouda instead, because the gorgonzola was a bit too dominant and didn't mesh well with the cream cheese. I think the gouda would have been a better choice in that respect. But the cooking times were spot on, and the texture of the polenta was perfect. And I liked the mushroom/shallot saute on top, it gave it an earthy tone. Thanks for sharing your recipe, twissis. I'll try it again with gouda.

4.0

review by:
(1 Aug 2017)

Daily Inspiration

Made this dish last night and it made a great side dish to our meat. Not sure why I had so much trouble finding instant polenta in the grocery, but once I did -- I purchased several boxes. LOL Loved the combination of the cheeses and the mushrooms. I halved the recipe with no problem. A nice addition to our meal.

5.0

(31 Mar 2017)

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