Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

I never had polenta until a few years ago. My mom hated the yellow stuff so we never had it. After tasting it for the first time, I remember being in complete shock at the notion that there are people in this world who are going around not liking polenta. It's craziness! Who doesn't like polenta? If you don't like it, I must know why. It's confounding, so please tell me. I'm dying to know. 

If you, for some obscure reason have had an aversion to poletna in the past but want to try it again (I do this with root beer floats every six years or so...still hate 'em), this is the perfect dish. This poletna is rich with vegan cheese and topped with absolutely scrumptious, roasted vegetables. I don't know if the polenta or the vegetables star here. I couldn't quit snatching up the roasted veggies while waiting for the poletna to do it's thing. They're sweet, somewhat caramelized, and pair perfectly with the cheesy polenta. 

This is one of my ultimate polenta dishes! It's so good, it's going to be one of the vegan/vegetarian options at Todd's sister's wedding! Feelin' pretty darn fancy pants about it...in case you hadn't noticed. 

Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables


Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables
By

This poletna is rich with vegan cheese and topped with absolutely scrumptious, roasted vegetables. I don't know if the polenta or the vegetables star here. They're sweet, somewhat caramelized, and pair perfectly with the cheesy polenta.

Ingredients
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 3 small yellow summer squash, diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
  • 1/2 sweet potato, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • sprinkle of kosher salt
  • sprinkle of ground black pepper
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup stone-ground polenta, dry
  • 2 cups vegan cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup large flake nutritional yeast
  • sprinkle of kosher salt
  • sprinkle of ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Dice the vegetables and scatter them on large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Give them a good shake and a stir. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. When done, remove and set aside. Reduce oven to 350° F.
  2. Bring a large pot with the 4 cups of water to a boil. Give it a sprinkle of salt. Once boiling, slowly add the polenta while stirring continuously for 5 minutes. Then, turn to low heat and stir frequently for about 25 minutes to thicken. Stir in the cheese and nutritional yeast until melted and well combined. Remove from heat.
  3. Coat a 9x9 inch baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the polenta and smooth over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Then, add the roasted vegetables on top and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven, season with salt and pepper, and allow to rest for 5 minutes being serving. Serve hot.

    5. Prep time:
    Cook time:
    Total time:
    Yield: 6 servings

Scrumptious!

My little Bobbledore is now seven years and two days old. Time flies when you have such a great companion! 

German Word of The Day: Polenta --> Maisbrei (pronounced: mice-brye) *EDIT* A German reader informed me that they pretty much use the word Polenta as well! So happy to know the real word usage...it's just polenta peeps. Don't be going around saying maisbrei, okay? 

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