Polenta With Vegetable Tomato Sauce Recipes

EASY POLENTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch square baking dish.
• In a large pot, combine the milk and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it is at a rolling boil, gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• Pour the polenta into the prepared baking dish, and spread spaghetti sauce over the top.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until sauce is bubbling.

POLENTA WITH VEGETABLES AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Wash, trim, dry and slice mushrooms (use food processor); peel and mince garlic.
• Heat 3 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the mushrooms begin to brown, stirring occasionally.
• Chop onion in food processor. Heat the remaining oil in a small nonstick pan and saute the onion until it begins to soften and brown.
• Shuck corn and steam for about 3 minutes.
• Scrub, trim and slice zucchini in food processor.
• Wash and chop oregano and add with the zucchini to the mushrooms and continue cooking over medium heat, five or six minutes, until zucchini is crisp but tender.
• Bring water to boil for polenta, following package directions.
• Wash, trim and slice the tomatoes in the food processor and add to onion; simmer until the rest of the dish is ready.
• Coarsely grate the cheese.
• Slowly add polenta to the boiling water and stir until mixture begins to thicken. It is ready when water is almost completely absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in half of the cheese. Then spoon immediately into large shallow baking dish, about 10 by 15 inches, and spread evenly.
• Remove enough corn from cob to make 2 cups and stir into zucchini mixture. Spoon over polenta and top with tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Either serve immediately or run under broiler (do not preheat) for a couple of minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with parsley.

BAKED POLENTA WITH A TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
• Pour 3 cups of cold water into a saucepan and turn the heat up to high.
• Add 1 cup polenta/ cornmeal gradually, stirring until it is all mixed in.
• Stir in the paprika and nutmeg.
• Heat until boiling, then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. NB: The polenta may spit if not stirred so be careful!
• When the polenta has thickened at the end of the 2 minutes, remove from the heat. Line a loaf pan with cling film/ saran wrap and pour the polenta in
• Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 2 hours until solid.
• Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and cook the onion and garlic, stirring, for 3 minutes until soft.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste then simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, turn the polenta onto a chopping board and remove the cling film. Cut it into about 18 squares. Slices can also be used if they fit your baking tray better.
• Pour a third of the tomato sauce into a baking tray, top with half the polenta squares. Repeat the layers ending with sauce (alternatively I use a large shallow baking tray so I use a single layer of polenta squares with tomato sauce underneath and poured over the top).
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle the cheese over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.

15-MINUTE CHEESY POLENTA WITH CHUNKY TOMATO RAGU

Steps:

• Place a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Combine the milk, 3 1/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt in a medium saucepan, cover and set it over medium-high heat.
• When the large skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl the pan to coat. Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until lightly browned in parts, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the onion into large chunks.
• Add the onion, carrots and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the vegetables and a large pinch of salt to the pan with the sausage and cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
• By this time, the milk and water mixture should be at a strong simmer. Whisk in the polenta and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thickened and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese and season with additional salt if needed. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
• When the vegetables are slightly softened, stir in the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely tender and the juice from the tomatoes has reduced slightly, 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and red pepper flakes if desired.
• Divide the polenta (if the polenta is too thick, whisk in 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water to thin it out) among 4 bowls and top with the chunky tomato ragu. Toss the greens in a large bowl with the remaining olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and some salt and pepper and serve on the side.

HERB AND TOMATO POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until they start to blister and release some of their juices, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook another 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
• In a saucepan over low heat, stir the Parmesan and butter into the Cooked Polenta, thinning with milk as desired. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon zest, taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.
• Transfer the polenta to a serving bowl. Use a spoon to create a shallow well and top with the tomatoes, torn basil, some black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, add the baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pour the cornmeal into the water in a very slow stream from a measuring cup, all the while whisking in a circular motion to prevent lumps.
• Cook, vigorously stirring the polenta with a wooden spoon for about 10 seconds once every 5 minutes and making sure to scrape clean the bottom and corners of the pot, until the polenta has lost its raw cornmeal taste and becomes soft and smooth, about 30 minutes. If the polenta looks like it's drying out too quickly, continue cooking with the lid on. Cooked Polenta recipe courtesy of Jeff Mauro.

POLENTA WITH HOMEMADE TOMATO-SEAFOOD SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until the onion has softened and the garlic has begun to turn brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add olive oil, Italian seasoning, parsley, bouillon cubes, and red wine; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to break up the bouillon cubes. Stir in canned tomatoes, sugar, cayenne, and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Take the tomato sauce off of the heat and puree with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in the mixed seafood, and return to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in squid, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer for 30 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While the tomato-seafood sauce is simmering, prepare the polenta by bringing water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium, and slowly whisk in polenta with a wire whisk. Allow to simmer 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Stir in spinach, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to slowly simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning. Once the polenta has softened and turned creamy, remove from heat, season to taste with garlic salt, and keep warm.
• To prepare the vegetable mix, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in red onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until zucchini begins to brown. Stir in mushrooms, and continue cooking until soft. Season with balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, scoop a pile of polenta into the center of each plate; ladle the seafood sauce around, then top with vegetable mixture.

POLENTA AND GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta, whisking quickly to combine. Reduce heat to a medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick- about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with the cayenne pepper and salt. Coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray and pour the polenta into the prepared pie plate and smooth out the surface and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat grill (or broiler). Whisk together garlic, thyme, lemon juice, and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with the dressing. Coat a grill basket (or cooking tray) with cooking spray and arrange vegetables. Grill vegetables until tender and slightly charred- about 3-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter.
• Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
• Heat broiler, sprinkle polenta with remaining Parmesan cheese. Broil polenta until golden brown- about 2-3 minutes, then slice into 8 pieces. Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetable, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with fresh basil.

FRIED POLENTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to boil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Gradually stir in grits; cook 5 to 6 min. or until grits are thickened and start to pull away from bottom and side of pan. Stir in cheeses. Pour into 9x5-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray; cool 10 min. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min, stirring occasionally. Cool 15 min. Pour into blender; blend until smooth. Transfer to bowl; set aside.
• Unmold polenta; cut into 16 slices. Cut each slice lengthwise in half, then cut each piece diagonally in half. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add 16 polenta triangles; cook 2 to 4 min. on each side or until crisp and lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining butter and polenta triangles. Serve with sauce.

BAKED POLENTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• To prepare the tomato sauce:
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the tomatoes, yellow onion, and garlic in a baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until the garlic is soft and the skin is peeling away from the tomatoes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and put in a saucepan. Squeeze the garlic out of the bulb and into the tomatoes. Remove the skin from the onion. Coarsely chop the onion and add to the tomatoes.
• Add the olive oil to the tomatoes and puree with a handheld immersion blender until smooth. You may need to add up to 1/3 cup water if there is not enough liquid. Season with salt. Warm the tomato sauce just prior to use.
• To prepare the polenta:
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a simmer and stream in the polenta. Whisk together until there are no lumps. Cover with a lid and continue to cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Be careful when you go to stir the polenta-it tends to spit out pieces of the cornmeal, which is very hot. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the olive oil and basil. Drop in teaspoon-size pieces of the ricotta cheese. Pour the polenta into an 8-inch square baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and let sit for 1 hour or until the polenta has firmed up. Bake the polenta in the oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. Cut the polenta into 8 equal pieces.
• To serve:
• Place 1/2 cup warm tomato sauce in 4 shallow bowls and top with two pieces of the polenta. Sprinkle with the chopped basil.

POLENTA AND VEGETABLES WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta in a stream, whisking to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with cayenne and salt. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer polenta to pie plate, smooth into an even layer and let cool 15 minutes. Heat broiler. Whisk garlic, thyme, lemon juice and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with dressing. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange vegetables in 1 layer (or in 1 layer in a grill basket). Broil vegetables about 4 inches from heat until tender and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle polenta with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Broil polenta in pie plate until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then cut polenta into 8 triangles. Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetables, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chives. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.

POLENTA WITH PARMESAN AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the butter and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the Parmesan, if using. Spoon onto plates, make a depression in the middle and spoon 1/4 heaped cup of simple tomato sauce into the depression. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.