The inclusion of kale and goat cheese makes this polenta recipe upscale.
| Prep Time: | 1 hr |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ⅓ cups water
- 1 cup stone ground cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups fresh corn kernels
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ bunch kale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 3 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute; don’t let the garlic brown. Add 3 cups of the water, and bring it to a boil.
- While the water heats, whisk together in a bowl the cornmeal, salt, and 1 cup water to make a smooth mixture.
- When the water in the saucepan comes to a boil, pour the mixture into it. Whisk constantly for 3 minutes to prevent lumps from forming. Turn the heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and cook the polenta 5 minutes more. Stir in the pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 8×8 inch pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Chill the polenta in a refrigerator for 1 hour.
- While the polenta is cooling, cut away the stems and center stalks of the kale. Cut the leaves into 3-inch pieces.
- Cut the chilled polenta into 4 large triangles. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the polenta triangles. Fry the polenta until it is golden brown on the underside, then turn the polenta over and cook it until it is golden brown on the other side. Arrange the polenta on a baking sheet.
- Preheat the broiler on your oven.
- Place the kale and 1/3 cup water into the skillet that was just used to fry the polenta. Cover the skillet and cook the kale over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
- Place the tomato slices on top of the polenta triangles. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top of the tomato slices. Broil the polenta until the cheese melts and the tomatoes begin to cook.
- Arrange the kale on a serving platter. Place the hot polenta triangles on top of the kale and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 690 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 89 g |
| Cholesterol | 53 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Sodium | 1250 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This was delicious! The only change I made was to add some seasoning to the kale while it sauteed, and I’m glad I did. I think it would have been a little bland otherwise.
I made the polenta in the morning to give it plenty of time to solidify, and it did seem the correct texture when I took it out of the pan, but it crumbled to pieces when I fried it; I think it was the corn kernels. I didn’t have kale, per se, but there was a bag if mixed “braising greens” in my CSA box, so sautéed some of those with some additional garlic, and served the polenta over that. The overall taste was good, just the presentation did not turn out as I had hoped! I’ll try this again, maybe using a more finely-ground cornmeal and possibly leaving out the corn (serving it on the side, perhaps?).Thanks for posting!
I haven’t actually tried yet but as soon as I get the ingredients I will. I love Polenta and have never made it and anything using goat cheese and Kale has to be great, the ingredients just work together. I gave it a 5 star just reading the recipe sounds fabulous.
this looks pretty, but doesn’t have the follow through for our family. If i were to fry polenta, i wouldn’t bother with the olive oil on account of the aftertaste. Once an oil is heated that hot, it looses its health benefits anyway. This dish was too many steps and not great enough flavor.
I used regular cornmeal instead of stone ground… not sure if that had anything to do with the fact that my polenta kept sticking to the pan and in the end turned out to be a goopy mess… I don’t think I’ll ever try this recipe again. It took too much effort and time, and the results were frustratingly mediocre.
Took WAY too long to cook and ended up with a flavorless mess. The only redeeming quality is the recipe is inexpensive.
Loved it! For those too lazy to follow these long winded directions, you can buy dried polenta and it cooks in about 10 mins not 30. Resting in the fridge over-night might also be a useful thing to do in advance just to save time.
Cooked almost exactly as listed save for used minced leeks instead of garlic, used Trader Joe’s Herb butter reduction instead of regular butter, and added 2 tbs of It. blend cheese with the parm for more cheesy flavor. Turned out very delicious! The hubby and I were both going back for seconds! 🙂
oh lala! this was yummy! i did make a few changes…i had the ‘tube’ of polenta, i just sliced that up and cooked it in the olive oil with some dried basil, dried rosemary, and garlic. i did not have fresh tomato’s, so i used a can of tomato’s and a can of corn. placed both on top of polenta and smothered it with the goat cheese. of course, i put over the bed of kale that i sauteed up. i did not use any water, just a little oil. the whole family loved this dish~
This was way too much polenta for two servings, in fact, I made it into 8. However, my polenta turned out a little gel-like and stuck to my frying pan. Turned into a gloppy mess, not a nice golden brown cake. Disappointed but will try again.
I made only one change to the recipe, and that’s that I substituted mozarella for goat cheese (I don’t like goat cheese). I loved the texture and flavor mix of this dish, but it still tasted a little bland. I’m going to make it again and add some green hot sauce to it. I think it’ll be even better then!
I made this as a side dish but I can’t imagine this serving only 2 people as a main dish. This makes a lot of polenta! I don’t like tomatoes, so didn’t add them, but the polenta with goat cheese and kale tasted great together. Served with halibut. I just wished the polenta was thicker and creamier.
Great recipe. I modified it slightly to just cook all listed ingredients in a large skillet. Once blended (about 15 minutes), I left it on the stove on Medium High (cover off) and let the bottom get brown and crispy.
I used a store bought polenta. And didn’t bother with the corn. I also topped with a chunky homemade ragu, since tomatoes are not really that great right now. Love the combination of flavors. Absolutely have to have the goat cheese. That’s what makes it.
Although very expensive time-wise, the ingredients were pretty cheap (‘cept the goat cheese) so I thought I would give this a try and I’m glad I did. I made the polenta last night while watching TV, so I didn’t actually lose much time over it. Yes, the polenta mixture made a lot, but it is perfect for saving for later. The goat cheese is a little on the creamy/rich side, so don’t be greedy like me and crumble sooo much on top. I’m not a cheese connoisseur but I would describe it as kind of sour? I actually made this sans kale because my grocery store was out (yeah, weird, I know), but I think the kale would have been the perfect contrast to the cheese (I’ve had kale before). I broiled for about 5 minutes, which is about a minute after the cheese started browning. I wish I had for a little less because the tomatoes were squishier than I would have liked them (I’ve never actually broiled anything before). Next time I eat this I will try broiling without the tomatoes!
We cut the polenta into smaller pieces because we served it with another side dish and fish and it wouldn’t been too much. Tasted great.
This was just okay for me. It felt like something was missing and the polenta was very thick.
very tasty make sure you chill it enough also you can cook the polenta in stock to give it even more flavour
Great recipe to get me to eat my greens. I find the polenta recipe makes 8 servings, so I use the extra triangles for later in the week. The un-fried polenta keeps well in the fridge and can be fried up for a quick meal with the greens. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes use a bit of sauce. I top with fresh shredded mozzerella because I cook for a “non funky cheese eater” and goat cheese classifies as a “funky cheese” to him :-p
This was my first time making polenta, and the recipe was very easy to follow. I made the mistake of using a smaller pan than recommended, which made the polenta too thick and hard to fry. If I make it again, I will make the polenta the night before..seems to fry better after it has been chilled longer. This makes a great meal, its delicious and looks beautiful.
This is a great polenta recipe that develops polenta-lovers of whomever eats it. I graded down a star, though, because this recipe is much better without the greens and goat cheese. It tastes best covered in a chunky tomato sauce or a hearty chili.