A simple, cozy vegetarian dish with creamy, buttery polenta topped with ratatouille-style balsamic and herb-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.
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:
- Spice-Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta
- Harvest Root Vegetable Salad with Chimichurri
- Roasted Squash Rigatoni Pasta with Greens
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.
parmesan polenta with roasted vegetables
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
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.
Choose your heaviest saucepan or enameled cast iron pot and turn the heat for best results with minimal stirring.
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
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve the warm polenta in bowls with the roasted vegetables and their juices over the top; sprinkle with additional cheese if you like.
Notes
Recipe updated August 2018
Courses vegetarian/main dish
Cuisine italian
Pin this recipe for later:
Hi there! I’m Karen, a mother of two and a professionally trained cook certified in holistic nutrition.
As the recipe developer, photographer and publisher of Familystyle Food, I share recipes and tips for making easy seasonal meals that are healthy and flavorful.
Check out the full recipe index.
Have a question or feedback? Get in touch or leave me a comment below — I love hearing from you!
Alanna says
Sooo pretty! And yes, breathe in this very evening’s air, a full 20 degrees cooler than at noon.
Karen says
Alanna, I’m breathing it in and loving it!
shane says
i get tempted to do this recipe because it has cheese in it. 😀
carolyn harlow says
Could I possibly use grits instead of polenta? Thanks for the yummy-sounding vegetarian recipe!
Karen says
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.
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
Gah! I’m a polenta freak and this dish looks as though it’s only going to reinforce the matter. Gorgeously simple, and simply gorgeous!
Karen says
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 🙂
Heather says
This recipe sounds and looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it. Thank you for sharing.
Alyson says
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!!
Alyson says
*all I can say is
Excuse the typo!
raw vegetable recipes says
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!
stacy says
going to try this but add some spicy shrimp from the grill! sounds so good and comfy!!
Nataliya says
I cooked it lust night with mushrooms ,zucchini and shallots . Was very yummy )))))
Karen says
That does sound yummy, Nataliya!
TERRI NEWCOMB says
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;-)
Benedict Saban says
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks , I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
JOANNA says
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!
Erin says
Would you typically serve this as a side dish? Or is it “enough” to be a main dish/stand alone for two people?
Karen says
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.
Nancy says
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!!!
CP says
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!