Whether you’re a vegetarian or a meat lover, whether you prefer your dinner simple and classic or loaded with all possible toppings, this polenta bar has something for everyone.
Much like my garlic and rosemary polenta bread, the inspiration for this polenta bar dinner comes from my dad. He got a huge sack of polenta and gave me a five pound bag of it to do with as I please. I continue to use it to make polenta bread and experiment with other baking recipes, but occasionally I use it to make traditional polenta. In fact, it is surprisingly fast and easy to make polenta in the microwave as a quick dinner for one. But this polenta bar is the opposite of an easy dinner for one; it’s actually the perfect dinner for a crowd or dinner party.
While polenta in the microwave may work, this polenta is slow cooked and fortified with a butter and parmesan for a creamy, rich mouthfeel. But what really makes this a “polenta bar” are the ample choices of toppings that you’ll serve alongside your polenta. Polenta, much like pasta, has a mild flavor, making it the perfect blank canvas for any and every topping you could dream of. My recipe down below has a few suggestions for toppings that I think happen to work great with polenta, but don’t let that limit you. The beauty of this recipe is that you can tailor it to your own tastes and to the tastes of each individual guest at you dinner table.
EASY DINNER FOR A CROWD
This polenta bar recipe is perfect for a crowd or dinner party because it looks impressive and has a little bit of everything, but it is actually deceptively simple to throw together. Simply cook up some polenta and your choice of toppings, and you’re done. Polenta takes a little babysitting, but it is actually remarkably easy to make, and is so tasty especially when fortified with butter and parmesan cheese like it is here. The toppings we chose for our polenta bar were crispy mushrooms, caramelized onions, spicy Italian sausage, spinach sautéed with garlic, and fresh basil. But you can use literally whatever toppings you like or whatever you have on hand. And serving the toppings bar-style makes this dish customizable for any of your dinner guests.
Polenta Bar (With Lots of Toppings!)
Ingredients
For the polenta
- 1 cup polenta
- 4 cups water, or preferably stock
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup parmigianno reggiano
- salt and pepper
For the toppings
- 16 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 16 oz fresh spinach
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb Italian sausage, removed from casing
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- basil and parsley for garnish, minced
Instructions
For the polenta
- Combine polenta and water or stock in a large saucepan with tall sides. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until water is absorbed and polenta is soft, stirring frequently, 30 minutes.
- Remove polenta from heat and stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
For the toppings
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Sauté mushrooms over medium heat until softened, 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spread softened mushrooms on sheet pan and bake in oven until crispy, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- In the same pan as the mushrooms, sauté diced onions with lots of olive oil (around 1/4 cup) until deeply browned and caramelized, 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a clean pan, sauté Italian sausage until crispy, 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- In another pan, sauté minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until spinach is wilted, 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Serve and putting out bowls of toppings and the pan of polenta, and let everyone make their bowls as they please.
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