| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons or 3/4 stick) butter
- 2 roasted red bell peppers, seeded and peeled
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- Salt and pepper
- 1/8 cup grapeseed oil
- 1 onion, medium diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced medium
- 1 zucchini, medium dice
- 1 yellow squash, medium dice
- 1 small eggplant, medium dice
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup kalamata pitted black olives, cut in 1/2
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 fresh plum tomatoes, diced
- 6 to 8 sprigs fresh basil
Instructions
- Whisk the cornstarch into the vegetable broth. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan, and then add the chicken broth mixture, red peppers and garlic. Simmer 30 minutes. *Pour hot mixture into blender and blend until smooth to make red pepper sauce. While the pepper sauce is simmering, begin the polenta.
- Combine vegetable stock and cream in a large heavy saucepan. Heat to a gentle boil over medium heat, being careful not to burn. While whisking constantly, gradually add the cornmeal. Once cornmeal is incorporated, keep heat low and continue to whisk until mixture is slightly thickened and creamy. Stir in Parmesan, and season with pepper. (Since Parmesan is salty, add salt only if needed). Set aside in a warm place.
- Heat oil in a saute pan. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant, until they begin to soften. Stir in tomato paste, chopped fresh parsley, thyme, and let cook until flavors integrate, about 10 more minutes. Add olives and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Remove from heat and stir in fresh tomato. Let sit to rest.
- Place cheese polenta onto serving plate, making a well in the center. Top with vegetable ragout in the center, and spoon red pepper coulis over top. Garnish with fresh basil.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 505 |
| Total Fat | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 106 mg |
| Sodium | 953 mg |
Reviews
We loved this recipe. I thought the red pepper sauce needed more flavor so I added about 3 T of red wine. It elevated the dish nicely. Also, as vegetarians, we don’t use heavy cream so I substituted with 2% milk and cut the parm cheese in half and still, excellent. It was pretty labor intensive with all the chopping and trying to make all 3 dishes at the same time. Worth it, tho. Will make again.
I thought this meal was very good and something different. The chopping of all the veggies took a little while, but overall it was very easy to make. My husband went absolutely gaga over this dish. I love cooking dishes like this that lets my husband realize he likes veggies after all.
This is fantastic! I only made subtle changes. I used fat free half and 2% milk for the polenta. Omitted the olives because I couldn’t find any, and I peeled the egg plant.
The couli is delicious but only needs a drizzle. The recipe make a bunch. I’ll freeze it for the next time I make this, which will be often!
I just wanted to try something I’d never tried before but I didn’t expect it to be this good. This was one of the best things I’ve ever made or eaten. Definitely a keeper in my recipe book.
I really like this recipe, and thought of a way to adjust it for my Alamo Vegetarian Texas crowd!!
Love this recipe! I used whole milk instead of cream and 1/2 the butter. When the polenta was done I oiled a loaf pan and baked it @ 400 for about 20 minutes to get a crusty brown top on it, then let it cool for 15 minutes to firm up. Delicious!
Made this for my bookclub – always looking for great vegetarian recipes for this group as several people are vegetarian. Everyone raved! The only changes I made – used 2 zuccini (couldn’t find yellow squash, used vegetable broth only – instead of chicken stock/broth, used basil paste instead of fresh basil (couldn’t find any. Delish- will make again especially for my vegetarian friends. It does make a large quantity – so, I would make it for a dinner party or carry-in dinner. Several people said, “this is just the best comfort food”. I did end up adding a little salt to the polenta and to the coulis. Wonderful.
This is an amazing recipe! I only made the ragout. Instead of the coulis, I food processed tomato and bell pepper, drained some of the liquid and added the tomato and bp to the ragout at the end with chopped basil. This makes the dish taste so fresh and light. I also quadrupled the amount of garlic. I used the drained liquid as a sauce and served it over thyme flavored mashed potatoes. The eggplant breaks down and just binds all the veggies together, so it is essential to the recipe. I will make this recipe over and over again…next time I’ll serve it over quinoa pilaf.
A great recipe! For someone like me who is new to the whole vegetarian scene, this was perfect for me. Nice hearty vegetables and the polenta is great to fill you up. I tried it with and without the coulis, and I thought the coulis was unnecessary.
This is very tasty! A small amount, however, goes a long way…not something you could eat over and over again if you have leftovers, IMO. If you use both the polenta and the coulis, it is VERY rich. I think it would be a great meal for a vegetarian dinner party, but the amount of coulis the recipe makes compared to the polenta and ragout is probably twice what’s needed. The basil and fresh tomatoes add a really nice freshness to the dish to help balance out some of the salt, and heaviness of the cream. Would definitely recommend trying this…I would have loved to have shared it with my vegetarian mom, but my kids (7 and 2 opted for PB and J after trying it : Older kids willing to try more might like it though :