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Parmesan Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

A simple, cozy vegetarian dish with creamy, buttery polenta topped with ratatouille-style balsamic and herb-roasted vegetables.

Parmesan Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

Do you ever notice that your appetite changes right along with the seasons?

A bowl of creamy, warming parmesan polenta is very craveable whenever that fall feeling hits.

You know when those last days of summer just seem different, starting with the first step outside in the morning.

Maybe there’s a chill in the air that wasn’t there the day before, or the leaves on familiar trees have an edge of gold or crimson.

Roasted Vegetables with Parmesan Polenta

Whatever triggers that transition — even if it has nothing to do with the weather — when cozy comfort food is called for, you can count on polenta to satisfy.

It’s basically like the most delicious bowl of porridge you can eat for dinner.

Along with a generous amount of colorful balsamic roasted vegetables served on top, there’s not much better.

More recipes with roasted vegetables:

Parmesan Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

How to make parmesan polenta the easy way

  • Get coarse cornmeal to make polenta not the more finely ground corn flour.
  • To make this creamy parmesan polenta without constant stirring, first choose a heavy-duty saucepan or Dutch oven. One that has 3 or 4 quarts capacity is ideal. A sturdy pan will retain heat better, allowing the thickened polenta to cook at a low temperature without sticking or scorching.
  • Bring the water to a boil, then gradually add the cornmeal in a thin stream — you can do this either by pouring it out of a small bowl or measuring cup with a spout or with your hands, letting the grain fall through your fingers. Pour in the polenta with one hand while whisking it into the water with the other (this your chance to practice hand-eye coordination).
  • Once all the cornmeal is in the pan, it will almost immediately start to thicken and boil. This is when you turn the heat down as low as your stove will go. Stir the polenta once or twice, then cover the pan and let it cook mostly undisturbed for 20 – 3o minutes. Check on it and stir the polenta once or twice during that time.

When I make polenta, I like to be generous with the butter and parmesan cheese. It’s a perfect neutral canvas for cheesy, creamy additions.

Yield: 4 servings

Parmesan Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

Parmesan Polenta with Roasted Vegetables
Make this cozy, simply delicious Parmesan polenta topped with colorful roasted ratatouille-style Mediterranean vegetables when you want a one-bowl vegetarian meal or side.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 bell peppers in assorted colors, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 small or 2 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary 
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup coarse cornmeal
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Combine the peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until beginning to soften and turn brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the garlic, thyme and balsamic vinegar. 
  3. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a heavy-duty sauce pan or small Dutch oven. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Gradually sprinkle the polenta into the pan while whisking at the same time. Turn the heat to a very low simmer, cover and continue to cook the polenta for 25 - 30 minutes, until it's thick, fluffy and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When it's done remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, butter and additional salt to taste if needed.
  4. Serve the warm polenta in bowls with the roasted vegetables and their juices over the top; sprinkle with additional cheese if you like.

Notes

Choose your heaviest saucepan or enameled cast iron pot and turn the heat for best results with minimal stirring.

Recipe updated August 2018

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 422 Total Fat: 24g Saturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 41mg Sodium: 674mg Carbohydrates: 49g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 17g Protein: 9g
© Familystyle Food
Cuisine: italian

Pin this recipe for later:

Parmesan Polenta with Roasted Vegetables #dinner #healthy #vegetarian #glutenfree

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Carolyn – yes to grits. I say go for it! Polenta is just Italian grits, I think. I typically use stone ground cornmeal, and if you can find coarsely ground grits I think it would be fantastic in this recipe.

      Reply

    • Heather – thank you! I hope you love it.

      Kare, I know exactly what you mean…it’s hard for me to pass on polenta too. Fortunately its one of my healthier habits 🙂

      Reply

  6. I stumbled upon your blog via foodgawker and all I can saw it WOW. I made the above recipe tonight for dinner and my husband and I were blown away! This was so hearty and flavorful.
    Thank you for the recipe!!

    Reply

  8. Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your blog. You have some really great posts and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some material for
    your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
    Please send me an email if interested. Thanks!

    Reply

  11. I’ve been meaning to tell you how much we enjoy this recipe, and your recipe and cooking style generally. Many thanks for sharing. Now…I must have a polenta craving…off to try your rosemary lemon polenta cookies;-)

    Reply

  13. Hi! This looks delicious. I am a fairly new vegetarian and I am thinking about making this as my first vegetarian Thanksgiving dish. Could you tell me how many bowls this recipe made? I am only looking to make 1-2 servings as my husband is NOT vegetarian so he will be getting the usual turkey! Just wanted to know if this recipe needs to be halved. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Erin, this would make a great vegetarian main dish, with maybe a salad on the side, or a side for 4 people along with a piece of chicken or fish.

      Reply

  15. This looks so delicious! My hubby is meat free right now and I think this would be a hearty dish to serve! Can I substitute eggplant? Yum!!!

    Reply

  16. I made this last night for dinner, so filling and delicious! I swapped out zucchini for mushrooms. This morning I threw on a fried sunny side up egg and ate the leftovers for breakfast!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  5. […] Roasted Vegetables and Parmesan Polenta Ingredients: 1 each red, yellow and orange bell peppers, seeded and diced 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved ½ red onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper 3 small or 2 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 1 cup polenta or coarse cornmeal 1 – 2 teaspoons salt ½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons butter (Find the full recipe and directions here at Farm Style Food) […]

    Reply

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