mushroom polenta

This easy mushroom polenta recipe is creamy, comforting, and nourishing. For extra protein and a little crunch, top this dish with a handful of roasted chickpeas. Gluten-free and vegan.

Mushroom Polenta

Polenta

recipe Sautéed Mushrooms

Chimichurri (for drizzling)

Microgreens (optional)

Roasted Chickpeas (optional (not pictured))

Assemble hot polenta in bowls. Top with sautéed mushrooms and drizzle generously with chimichurri. Top with microgreens and roasted chickpeas, if desired. Serve with additional chimichurri on the side.

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage. A simple EASY vegetarian dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. Comfort food that is healthy, vegan adaptable and gluten-free! |

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage 

½ c veggie stock

polenta (ground corn meal)

olive oil

salt and pepper

mushrooms

shallot, diced

garlic, rough chopped

wine- totally optional (cooking sherry is nice- sherry wine, not sherry vinegar!)

sage (or sub rosemary

finishing salt

Garnish- a drizzle of truffle oil

Make the Polenta

Heat the stock in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to low and gradually whisk in the cornmeal to the hot liquid while whisking vigorously to avoid any clumping.

Bring to a simmer, cover and let simmer gently on low heat for 10 minutes, then give a good stir.  (Start the mushrooms below!) Cover again, simmer 10 more minutes, give another good stir. If using fine cornmeal, this should be close to done, if using a coarse polenta, you may need to cook a tad longer until grains fully open.

When the polenta is tender and cooked through, add your choice of olive oil, or butter, optional cheese, white pepper, stirring until fully incorporated. TASTE and adjust salt. Turn off heat, cover until ready to serve.

MUSHROOMS

While the polenta is simmering, saute the mushrooms.  Heat oil over med heat, add shallots, garlic and mushrooms, cook 6-7 minutes until mushrooms release their liquid, lowering heat if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Let the liquid cook off and allow the mushrooms to brown a little. At this point, you could splash with a little wine, letting this cook-off too- optional. Add the sage leaves right at the end and cook for one minute. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve the mushrooms atop a bed of delicious creamy polenta.

We loved this meal. Simple and satisfying.

Made this for dinner and added the spinach as you suggested in your notes- so comforting and delicious! My boyfriend loved this too.

I love this recipe, it was delicious. I made it along with roasted vegetables. I really appreciate that you provide this website, and particularly like that you provide possible substitutes. Looks like your other recipes are winners too, can't wait to try them. Thank you from North Vancouver Canada!!

While I prefer chanterelles or morels.  They were not available.  I used king oyster and portobello and it came out great.  Nice fall recipe!

Love it! I used this as a side and put scallops on top. Amazing.

This recipe is so good! I made roasted okra for the side, and it was delicious!

I have been pandemic cooking for almost a year now, searching the Internet for the best of the best recipes. Sylvia, your recipes are by far the best!! This polenta recipe was out of this world, but honestly, every single thing on your site rocks it! I’m so glad I found you!!

Made this without the mushrooms for the lentil Bologna’s recipe. Both were delicious!

Cheesy mushroom polenta is deeply satisfying and so delicious. With the addition of crumbled bacon it's the ideal Italian comfort food! Make this savory side dish, or hearty meal, in 35 minutes. It's the best polenta recipe!

Cheesy Mushroom Polenta with Bacon

bacon,

bacon drippings or salted butter

cremini mushrooms (or more, if desired)

Sea salt,

Freshly-ground black pepper,

Italian parsley, divided

onion

garlic clove, pressed

polenta

chicken broth or chicken stock

(packed) shredded medium cheddar cheese

corn kernels (canned/drained or frozen/thawed)

grated parmesan cheese (for garnishing)

Finely dice half the bacon. Roughly chop the remaining half, which will be used as a garnish. Set it aside.

Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Do not rinse under water. Mushrooms are like sponges. They need to be protected from excess moisture. Gently hand tear mushrooms into pieces. Place them in a mound on a small baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Toss to disperse oil and spices. Spread them in an even layer on the tray. Oven roast mushrooms for 12 to 15 minutes, until crisp but still juicy.

CHEESY MUSHROOM POLENTA

Add garlic and onions to a heavy skillet with 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings or butter. Sautée over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until onion is golden and fragrant.

Add broth and corn kernels to the skillet. Bring to a boil.

Slowly add the polenta, whisking constantly. Cook polenta for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and soft. Add cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle in the finely-diced bacon and half the Italian parsley. Stir briefly to incorporate.

Serve this cheesy polenta family style as a side dish, or in individual ramekins. Garnish the polenta with oven-roasted mushrooms, chopped bacon and remaining parsley. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

HOW TO MAKE POLENTA

I love polenta!  This mushroom version looks delicious as a side dish!

There is nothing about this recipe that isn't absolutely amazing! The cheesy polenta alone is so good, but please oh please, the bacon! This is a treat!

All I can say is, yum! One of my new favorite comfort foods for sure

Love your process photos. This polenta was so tasty. Thanks for the recipe.

I've never tried Polenta, it looks absolutely delcious! Thank you for sharing!

What a beautiful bowl of creamy comfort food! I love this dish so much!

Wow! this recipe looks so yummy and tasty. Thanks for sharing this recipe. take care...

This Creamy Polenta and Mushroom-Tomato Sauce Recipe is one for the regular / easy / healthy dinner rotation! You might not think vegan polenta can be creamy and cheesy, but this recipe is here to prove you wrong! Topped with a savory, but healthy mushroom-kale tomato sauce, this creamy polenta recipe will keep you warm all winter long! 

Vegan Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragu

13.5 oz can full fat, unsweetened canned coconut milk

water

salt

polenta (or medium ground flint corn cornmeal)

yeast

medium yellow onion (sliced thin)

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

garlic (peeled and crushed)

tomato paste

tsp fennel seeds (crushed with the knife handle to release the oils)

oregano

basil

thyme

red wine (optional)

28 oz can diced tomatoes

salt & pepper (to taste)

Lacinato kale (washed, destemmed, torn and massaged)

lemon juice

In a small pot, bring the coconut milk and water to a boil. Slowly add the polenta while stirring constantly. Add the salt. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. If the polenta becomes too thick to stir, add additional water. You will likely need to add ~2 additional cups of water. The polenta is done when it is smooth and creamy (not gritty or sand-like). When the right consistency is reached, add the nutritional yeast and additional salt &amp; pepper, if desired. I highly recommend reading my blog post on how to cook polenta. 

Heat a cast iron skillet and add the olive oil. Heat until shimmering. Add the sliced onions and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, allow the onions to gently brown. About 15-20 minutes. 

Add the garlic and allow to cook until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. About 1-2 minutes.

Add the fennel seeds, basil, oregano, thyme and tomato paste. Stir until well combined and allow to cook until the tomato paste becomes a dark red. About 2 minutes. 

Add the red wine to deglaze the pan (optional).

Add the mushrooms. Stir until well coated. 

Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. The sauce should thicken as the liquid from the canned tomatoes cooks off. Season with salt and pepper to taste throughout the simmering process. 

While the ragu is simmering, prepare the kale. I highly recommend massaging the kale before adding it to the ragu, It will make it more tender and less bitter. To massage the kale, crunch the torn leaves with your hands. The kale will become darker and less rigid. With five minutes remaining in the cooking process, add the fresh lemon juice and the massaged kale. 

Serve in small bowls with a bottom layer of polenta. Spoon the mushroom and kale ragu over the polenta. Serve garnished with fresh parsley, vegan parmesan and crushed red pepper. 

This easy mushroom polenta recipe is healthy, comforting, and delicious! For extra crunch, top the creamy polenta with a handful of roasted chickpeas. Vegan and gluten-free.

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Top 5 mushroom polenta recipes from across the web

The most viewed mushroom polenta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Mushroom Polenta

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic...

Cheesy Mushroom Polenta with Bacon

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Mushroom Polenta

The most viewed mushroom polenta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine