The Cook Report

  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Dinner Recipes

    Cheesy Veggie Pesto Polenta Bake

    Author: Amy Fulwood | Published: Dec 11, 2016 | Modified: Oct 3, 2024

    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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.

    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 creamy mushrooms.

    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.

    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...

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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

    This courgette & prosciutto one pot pasta recipe is so quick and easy. Throw everything in the pot and 20 minutes later you've got dinner on the table!

    Moroccan Honey Saffron Chicken with Polenta

    This Moroccan honey saffron chicken is great for using up leftover cooked chicken and any vegetables you've got in the fridge. It also tastes amazing!

    Recipe

    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.

    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 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes 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

    Did you make this recipe?

    Make sure you follow The Cook Report on Instagram and tag #TheCookReport so we can see what you've made!
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @amycookreport on Instagram and hashtag it #thecookreport!
    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.

    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.
    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.

    More Dinner Recipes

    • Harissa Aubergine Galettes
    • Bowl of food on a blue background
      Crispy Chicken Thighs with Chickpea Stew
    • White bowl of food
      Chopped Prawn Salad
    • Blue and white bowl of potatoes and feta
      Honey Harissa Roast New Potatoes with Creamy Feta

    Comments

    1. Lauren says

      September 02, 2017 at 12:26 am

      5 stars
      Drooling. This casserole looks amazing!

      Reply
    2. Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says

      September 01, 2017 at 11:09 pm

      This bake looks absolutely delicious! My family loves cheesy bakes!

      Reply
    3. Ginny says

      September 01, 2017 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      People don't cook with polenta enough. This looks like a wonderful casserole with great ingredients.

      Reply
    4. Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says

      September 01, 2017 at 9:52 pm

      Yum! This is my kind of eating. Anything covered with gooey cheese and I'm sold. I could eat this right now.

      Reply
    5. Jagruti says

      September 01, 2017 at 9:48 pm

      I am very interested in following your recipe of cheesy veggie pesto polenta bake,will make it over the weekend. Thanks

      Reply
    6. Jenn says

      September 01, 2017 at 8:47 pm

      I'm sitting in cozy sweaters in AUGUST which is crazy for NJ, so my brain is turning to comforting fall food and this sounds perfect. I love polenta and this will definitely be a delicious veggie bake to introduce into weekend dinner rotation. Can't wait!

      Reply
    7. Jennie Durren says

      February 03, 2017 at 3:31 am

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious and filling! If we ever actually get real winter weather here I'd love to make this on a cold night.

      I had to look up "passata" - I think it's just regular pureed tomatoes in the States but guessing passed through a sieve?

      Reply
      • Amy says

        February 03, 2017 at 10:40 am

        Hi Jennie,

        Thanks! Definitely let me know if you try it 🙂

        And yes, that sounds about right - I'll update the recipe to avoid confusion in the future! xx

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Photo of Amy in a red jumper wearing glasses

    Hey, I'm Amy Fulwood!

    Recipe creator and photographer here at TheCookReport.co.uk.

    Over here we’re all about delicious healthy recipes to fit around busy schedules and celebrating the joy that comes from an amazing meal.

    About Me

    Popular

    • Cheesy cauliflower steak with cloth and gold fork
      Cheesy Cauliflower Steak with Pine Nuts
    • Fried halloumi and salad in a blue bowl on a blue surface
      Halloumi Breakfast Bowl with Salad
    • Side on shot of salmon burger on a plate over a marble background
      15 Minute Salmon Burgers with Garlic Yoghurt
    • Summer Pearl Barley Salad with Feta

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About The Cook Report
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    Copyright © 2023 The Cook Report

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.