Roasted Mushrooms and Creamy Polenta is the perfect side dish or vegetarian friendly meal to have in your repertoire. Roasting mushrooms give they a hearty flavor and wonderful texture. This recipe is perfect for an easy yet elegant meal!
What is polenta
Polenta is cornmeal boiled in stock so that it gets a delicious, thick, creamy texture. You can use yellow or white cornmeal to make it (there’s no difference in taste) and it’s a great way to use up the cornmeal in your cupboard that you got that one time you made cornbread from scratch. I like to serve my polenta warm so that it has a porridge like consistency. But you can also let it cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or grilled.
Tips for cooking polenta
Polenta can be a bit tricky to make but here are the tips I found that worked the best through trial and error
- Cook with chicken or vegetable stock for the most flavor, don’t use plain old water
- Bring liquid to a boil before adding cornmeal. Once cornmeal is added bring down to a simmer
- Use a sifter to slowly stir in the cornmeal. It will clump if not added in slowly.
- Stir consistently while adding cornmeal
- Mise en place is key, grate cheese and garlic while water is boiling and premeasure the cornmeal
How do you clean mushrooms?
Cleaning mushrooms is an important step when preparing them. Since mushrooms grow close to the ground, there will often be dirt clinging to them. Since you don't want that in your food, cleaning them is a must.
Mushrooms are like sponges, they'll soak up water. When cleaning mushrooms, never wash them with water. Instead use a damp paper towel to clean off the mushrooms. Waterlogged mushrooms can become rubbery when cooked as the water will steam the mushrooms, creating that rubbery texture.
To roast mushrooms, space them out evenly on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, then cook in at a low temperature. When the mushrooms are done, toss with a bit of salt and they're ready to go!
make it a meal
- Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots
- Balsamic Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Roasted Broccoli and Garlic
- Other Side Options
other great dinners
Roasted Mushrooms and Creamy Polenta
Equipment
Ingredients
Polenta
- 4 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese Grated
- 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
- ¼ Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Tbs Butter
Mushrooms
- 1 Pound Mushroom Mix Oyster, Cremini, Shitake, Maitake, etc
- 4 Sprigs Thyme
- 6 Cloves Garlic Smashed
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Polenta
- Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.
- Using a sifter slowly add in the cornmeal, stirring continuously. Once all of the cornmeal is added let simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in parmesan cheese, garlic, cream and butter. season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm for porridge consistency polenta or let cool to have a firm loaf like consistency.
Mushrooms
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Place mushrooms on a baking sheet with garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Make sure mushrooms are spread out to that they don't steam.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.
- Roast for 15 minutes, then turn them. Season generously with salt. Roast for another 10 minutes or until mushrooms become crispy
- Serve Mushrooms over polenta, then enjoy!
Nutrition
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Arya's Corner
I love how siberian kitties have little lion's manes
About Michelle
Hello! I'm Michelle Boulé. I'm a photography nerd, cat mom and all around foodie. Join me in making some of my favorite comfort foods!
Stephanie says
This sounds like the perfect bowl of comfort food and easy to prepare. I love mushrooms and polenta but never thought to combine them. This is on my must make list soon.
Kate Hackworthy says
Those garlic mushrooms sound amazing on the creamy polenta!
Natalie says
Looks like the ultimate comfort food! I love polenta ♥
Heidy L. McCallum says
This recipe couldn't get any more delicious looking if it tried! I am super excited to make this coming week!
Dannii says
I adore polenta - it’s so comforting. I love the idea of having mushrooms with it.