Cheesy Veggie Pesto Polenta Bake

This cheesy veggie pesto polenta bake will keep you warm in winter! Bursting with veg & guaranteed to fill you up, this is the perfect vegetarian dinner.

There are few things better than creamy, cheesy polenta. Like I can’t think of a single thing right now. Polenta is my comfort food, when it’s cooked with milk, stock and cheese stirred through it I could eat it all by itself. I also love it topped with roasted veg, especially something like butternut squash, or a creamy mushroom ragu.

But sometimes you really need something that’s been baked in the oven and is covered in bubbly melted cheese. Under that layer of cheese you’ll find a whole bunch of yummy vegetables which will help keep you feeling healthy this winter (trust me, I’m needing this, I’m fighting a sore throat hard right now).

Although this looks like it might be a bit complicated to put together it’s actually pretty simple. Once you’ve cooked the polenta and lightly cooked the vegetables in a tomato sauce it’s just a case of putting it all together. Making sure to smear a layer of red pesto in between the polenta and vegetables for an extra flavour.

Then you shove it in the oven until all the cheese is melty and browned. You don’t need anything else to go with this cheesy pesto polenta bake, it’s a complete meal in here what with the veg and the polenta and did I mention the cheese?

5 from 3 votes

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Cheesy Veggie Pesto Polenta Bake

This cheesy veggie pesto polenta bake will keep you warm in winter! Bursting with veg & guaranteed to fill you up, this is the perfect vegetarian dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 582 kcal

Author Amy

Ingredients

• 500 ml Milk
• 500 ml Stock chicken or vegetable
• 200 g Fine Polenta
• 1 tbsp Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil
• 2 cloves Garlic crushed
• 1 Onion chopped
• 2 Sweet Potato peeled and chopped
• 2 Courgettes chopped
• 100 g Button Mushrooms halved
• 2 handfuls Baby Leaf Spinach
• 500 g Passata
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 3 tbsp Red Pesto
• 1 ball Mozzarella
• 200 g Cheddar Cheese grated
• Few leaves Basil sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Make the polenta. Bring the stock and milk to a boil over a medium high heat. Whisk in the polenta and cook for 10 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and pour into the base of a baking dish.

2. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sweet potato and cook for another 5 minutes followed by the courgette. Cook for another 10 minutes until all the vegetables have softened. Pour in the passata and add the oregano. 

3. Bring the vegetable mixture to a simmer and then smear the red pesto over the polenta in the baking dish followed by the spinach leaves. Once the vegetables have been simmering for five minutes remove from the heat and pour it over the polenta, pesto and spinach. Tear apart the mozzarella and spread over the top of the casserole followed by the grated cheddar. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. 

WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS YOU’VE GOT FROM MAKING THIS cheesy veggie pesto polenta bake?

If you’re anything like me then you’re always looking for ways to save money and avoid food waste so I want to make sure you’ve get plenty of ideas on how to use up any ingredients that are leftover from my recipes!

Courgette & Prosciutto One Pot Pasta

Moroccan Honey Saffron Chicken with Polenta