One of the most satisfying dishes we can make during the cold winter months, is polenta. This classic northern Italian staple is a true comfort dish, especially when combined with earthy, meaty, cremini mushrooms in a balsamic glaze! Oven-Baked Polenta with Balsamic Mushrooms is a delicious and very flavorful vegetarian meal that you are going to love!
What is polenta and how to serve it
Polenta is simply a hearty cornmeal porridge from northern Italy where it has traditionally been considered a staple in peasant cuisine. It is typically made with coarse or fine stone-ground yellow cornmeal, which is then cooked in water, broth, or, a mixture of water and milk. Often times, polenta is used instead of rice or pasta and it is often served as a base for a hearty vegetable ragout or topped with a couple of poached eggs. It can also be a delicious base for roasted pork tenderloin, braised short ribs, a beef stew, or, grilled chicken.
How to make oven-baked polenta
Unlike the usual way of cooking the polenta, which is standing by the pot and stirring constantly so as to keep the polenta from sticking to the bottom or from becoming lumpy, this method of oven-baked polenta is completely fool-proof and hands off.
This simple technique is worth mastering as it consistently produces creamy, silky polenta every single time! All you need to do is stir the cooking liquid, the cornmeal, and the seasoning in an oven-proof pot or small Dutch oven, and then just pop it in the oven. Half an hour later, your polenta is ready to enjoy!
Ingredients for the Balsamic Mushrooms
While the polenta cooks in the oven, you can prepare these delicious balsamic mushrooms to serve it with. You only need a handful of ingredients: cremini mushrooms, a shallot, garlic, balsamic vinegar, butter and olive oil, thyme or parsley. The combination of these ingredients gives the mushrooms, a deep, earthy flavor with a hint of sweetness. 
If you prefer your polenta with a thicker consistency, you can cook it a little longer. It can also be made ahead of time and reheated gently on the stove top (or in the microwave) by adding a bit of water or milk as needed, until it reaches the desired consistency. If you have never had this oven-baked polenta with balsamic mushrooms before, I promise that this method is going to win you over!
- For the Polenta:
- 2 TBSP. butter
- 1 cup stone-ground corn meal (I used “Indian Head” brand old fashioned yellow corn meal)
- 1 cup milk
- 3.5 cups water
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 4 oz. Parmigiano Regianno cheese, grated, (plus some more for serving)
- For the Balsamic Mushrooms:
- 1 lb. small cremini mushrooms
- 2 TBSP. olive oil
- 2 TBSP. butter
- 1 medium shallot
- 4 small garlic cloves
- --- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2-3 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- --- fresh parsley, chopped, for topping (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Place a large, oven-proof pot over medium-high heat (I used a 4 qt. All-Clad pot). Add the water, the milk, and one tablespoon of the butter. Bring this to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and stir to melt the butter. Gradually add the cornmeal, whisking steadily to incorporate (this initial stir is key to prevent clumps from forming). Bring the mixture to a boil, immediately cover the pot with a lid, and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake at 325°F until the polenta is tender and soft, about 30 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven, stir in the second tablespoon of butter, cover again and let it stand for 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 oz. of the grated Parmesan, whisking briefly until the cheese has melted and is well incorporated. Check the consistency and the flavor, then cover and let it sit until ready to serve.
- While the polenta is in the oven, prep the ingredients for the balsamic mushrooms. First, clean the mushrooms and cut them into one-inch pieces. Make sure that the mushrooms are completely dry before cooking. Slice the shallot and cut the garlic into slivers.
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and “dry-sauté” them for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, until they release most of their moisture.
- Add the olive oil and butter to the skillet and toss to combine. Next, add the shallots, the salt and pepper, and cook until the shallots start to soften. Lastly, add the garlic and the thyme and cook a few minutes more until everything is well caramelized.
- Stir the sugar into the balsamic vinegar and then drizzle the mixture over the mushrooms. Toss well to coat and let them cool slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Divide the polenta among four bowls, top each with the balsamic mushrooms, more Parmesan cheese, and a good drizzle of your best olive oil. Garnish with some fresh parsley and serve!
Which photograph did you like the most?
? For those of you who made it to the end of this post, I have a question: Which photograph of this dish do you like the most? The first one with the green background, or this last one with the rust background? I often take multiple photos of the final dish with different backgrounds, until I find my favorite. This time, I just couldn’t decide which one I like the most! ?
THANK YOU FOR READING and FOLLOWING ALONG!
✨Welcome to all my new subscribers ✨
If you are not already following my blog, please subscribe to Marilena’s Kitchen to have each new post delivered right to your inbox!
Your support for my blog is greatly appreciated, please consider reviewing and rating my recipes! ?????
LOL The green. It was easier on the eye for me and made the warm colors of the food “pop” more.
This looks delicious and I plan to make it tonight. Thanks for another great inspiration for a vegetarian!
Thank you so much Lauren for taking the time to leave your comment, AND for reading all the way to the end of the post! I really appreciate it!
And I like the rust background as it highlights the green plate and then blends with the darker mushrooms!!
We’ll definitely be making this dish as soon as I get the ingredients together after a grocery store visit!! Perfect comfort food for this cold, snowy weather.
It is truly a very comforting winter dish, let me know how you like it! Thank you also for your vote on the backgrounds!
To break the tie :-), I very much prefer the rust background, simply because I prefer more vibrant colors and contrasts with the colors on the plate!
You are breaking the tie with your comment, Sara! At least for now:)
The rust background is one of my favorite dark backgrounds, that I own. I love the contrast that it makes with the green in this photo so much. Choosing the right background is often what makes a photograph – I had such a hard time deciding on this one!
Oh, wow! This looks great! I can’t wait to try!
Thank you Kathy! Such an easy recipe to make! Let me know how you like it!
Oh wow! This looks great! I can’t wait to try!
Green
Thank you Cynthia for voting on the background!
Green
Somehow, I knew you were going to vote for green!!!
It’s weird because I am more pulled in by the green. Although, It seems like the rust should pull me in more because of the contrast!
I love both of them, for different reasons… It was one of those times that I just couldn’t make up my mind:)
It’s weird because I am more pulled in by the green. Although, It seems like the rust should pull me in more because of the contrast!
Green (teal?) is the obvious choice here. I’m with Lauren, Cynthia and Kathy on this one! Go GREEN!
More important, however, is that this recipe is definitely a keeper. Hearty with deep flavors imparted by the balsamic vinegar over the mushrooms. This is perfect for a cold winter’s evening with a nice red wine.
Yes, it is more of a teal than green…. This is not a background that I use that often, but I thought it was very complimentary to the plate I used and the dish in general! Yes, polenta is perfect for this time of the year, especially with a nice red wine!
Frank says green too! Before reading the comments:)!
Thank you Frank for casting your vote too:) We have a split of opinions right now!
Green for me!
Thank you Alice! It looks like the green background is slightly ahead right now:)
While the greenish-blue background certainly caught my attention, I think the rust background works better for this specific photo because it brings out the natural brownness of the mushrooms. Both backgrounds look great–and you should definitely use the green one again in future photos–I just think the rust-colored one is the better pick for this recipe. Looks delicious!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your comment! I love both backgrounds, each one for different reasons, that’s why I had a hard time picking a favorite this time!!!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..-Ancient Greek Thought
Marilena. i send along One more opinion. about the.photo Background on the “”Easy Oven Baked Polenta” recipe…
I have written you several times on my complete admiration of your culinary expertise…Your photographs are spectacular…For the oven baked Polenta i favored the rust background
It provided a contran appetizing lift to the image… it was a complete delight… Do you art direct a photographer or. take images yourself? Yassou! Estelle Macdonald
Thank you so much Estelle, for your very kind words!
You are right, beauty is in the eye of the beholder….. this was one of the few times that I couldn’t decide on the best background for this dish, so I decided to ask my readers! It seems that opinions are split in half:) This means that both backgrounds were good choices, after all.
To answer your question, no, I don’t have a photographer to take images. I cook, style and photograph everything you see on the blog. I do all the dishes too:)
Thank you for keeping in touch!