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.

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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 creamy mushrooms.

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).

Ingredients you need to make this cheesy veggie pesto polenta bake:

• Milk
• Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• Fine Polenta
• Butter
• Garlic
• Onion
• Sweet Potato
• Courgettes
• Button Mushrooms
• Baby Leaf Spinach
• Passata
• Dried Oregano
• Red Pesto
• Mozzarella
• Cheddar Cheese

Keep scrolling to get the full recipe for this cheesy veggie pesto polenta bake...

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. I added plenty of cheese on top for obvious reasons. Mozzarella is just a dream for that melty, bubbly topping that we all dream of at night (just me?) and then cheddar adds a load of extra cheesy 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?

I can't really think of anything better to curl up with when you need a bit of comfort.

If you need more polenta recipes (yes, need, obviously) then find all my favourites here!

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!

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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.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 550kcal

Author: Amy Fulwood

Ingredients

• 500 ml Milk
• 500 ml Stock chicken or vegetable
• 200 g Fine Polenta
• 1 tablespoon 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 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 3 tablespoon Red Pesto
• 1 ball Mozzarella
• 200 g Cheddar Cheese grated
• Few leaves Basil sliced

UK Measures - US Measures

Instructions

• 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.
• 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. 
• 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. 

Nutrition Facts

Cheesy Veggie Pesto Polenta Bake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 550 Calories from Fat 225

% Daily Value*

Fat 25g38%

Saturated Fat 15g75%

Cholesterol 78mg26%

Sodium 960mg40%

Potassium 1034mg30%

Carbohydrates 55g18%

Fiber 5g20%

Sugar 14g16%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin A 8720IU174%

Vitamin C 26.6mg32%

Calcium 589mg59%

Iron 3.3mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

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Equipment you need to make this recipe…

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