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The starchy goodness of polenta makes it a favorite across many continents. In Italy (where this dish was invented) it’s often paired with tomatoes or tomato sauce. In this Summer Garden Polenta the creamy base gets topped with cherry tomatoes and all kinds of yummy veggies fresh from the garden. But, we’ll also give you some tips for making this in the chill of winter as well!
Why It’s So Delish
Polenta is a famously easy dish to make, especially since these days we have instant polenta. For this recipe we’re making it with some vegetable stock. This infuses every single bite of the dish with extra flavor and gives the corn a subtle umami richness.
After the polenta thickens is when we had some butter and some Parmesan cheese to really amp up the flavors.
How to Prepare This Dish
The tomatoes and fresh corn are pre-baked in the oven to get them nice and tender. Stand the corn cob on an upside down small bowl inside a larger bowl to cut the kernels off and collect them at the same time. This is so much cleaner than using a cutting board!
We’re adding some julienned (or finely diced) zucchini and yellow squash to a bowl then letting them sit with some lemon juice. The acid in the juice helps to sort of pre-cook the pieces and the thin strips will easily finish cooking when you bake the entire polenta.
The final bake is on low broil to give just a bit of brown color to the edges of the polenta and to finish cooking the veggies. To get a deep polenta that retains its moisture use a smaller, deeper pan. The one I used was 12” x 8” and 3” deep. For a thinner base and more surface area to hold veggies use a larger one like a jelly roll pan.
Substitutions
- Use any garden veggies you like here, just make sure they either cook with the corn and tomatoes or are thin enough to bake with the polenta.
- Use veggie stock or mix it up with beef or chicken stock.
- Mix in Parmesan cheese to the polenta or use a cheese of your choice. Hard cheeses are ideal for this dish because of their deep flavor. They also don’t become stringy due to their higher melting point.
- Use frozen corn or frozen veggies if you’re making this when they aren’t in season.
- If you’re short on time use sun-dried tomatoes on top instead of roasting your own.
Summer Garden Polenta
Yield(s): Serves 6-8
25m prep time
50m cook time
215 calories
Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the Vegetables:
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ears worth of corn kernels, removed from cob
- 1 small zucchini, julienned or finely diced
- 1 small yellow squash, julienned or finely diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the polenta and presentation:
- 1 ½ cups of instant polenta
- 4 cups vegetable broth, plus extra if needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Add tomatoes to baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until tomatoes burst.
- Add corn kernels to another baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until slightly browned.
- In medium bowl combine zucchini, squash, and lemon juice. Toss to combine and set aside.
- While corn and tomatoes bake combine polenta with broth in saucepan with whisk. Cook on medium-low until thick, adding more broth if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan and butter.
- Scoop polenta into 8”x12” or larger baking dish with deep sides. Level with back of spoon. Top with tomatoes, corn, zucchini, and squash. Set oven to low broil. Place pan on top rack and broil until veggies and polenta are browning around the edges, about 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and top with extra Parmesan, chopped basil, and green onions. Cut into slices to serve.
Recipe adapted from Proud Italian Cook.