Polenta tamale casserole is a delectable, versatile dish that blends the flavors of Italian polenta with the textures of Mexican tamales. This unique casserole is not only a flavorful culinary experience but also a visually appealing one, with its vibrant yellow polenta layer topped with a saucy layer of beef, chicken, or vegetarian filling, and finished with a generous sprinkling of cheese. This hearty dish is perfect as a main course for lunch or dinner and can be easily customized to suit different tastes and dietary preferences. Whether you want a meaty, cheesy version or a lighter, vegetarian option, this easy-to-make casserole will surely become a favorite in your kitchen.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
POLENTA TAMALE PIE
Categories Bean Beef Cheese Bake Sauté Dinner Cheddar Fall Hominy/Cornmeal/Masa Bon Appétit Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Sauté beef in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking up meat with back of fork, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add salsa, beans and broth. Simmer until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Mix in 1/4 cup cilantro; season with salt and pepper.
- Oil 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place half of polenta in dish. Top with sauce and 1 1/2 cups cheese, then remaining polenta, cheese and cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil; chill.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake freshly assembled pie, uncovered, until heated through and sauce bubbles, about 35 minutes, or bake refrigerated pie, covered, 20 minutes, then uncover and bake until heated through, about 35 minutes.
ITALIAN POLENTA CASSEROLE
Cheesy polenta layered with thinly sliced zucchini and marinara sauce makes a delicious side dish to steak, pork chops, or chicken!
Provided by Kim's Cooking Now
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Squash Summer Squash
Time 1h15m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.
- Combine cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, red wine, and 1/8 teaspoon salt for marinara in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to puree. Set aside.
- Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in polenta slowly, whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Bring back to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Pecorino Romano cheese and butter.
- Pour half of the polenta into the prepared casserole dish. Top with half of the sliced zucchini, overlapping slices slightly. Top zucchini with half of the marinara sauce, then sprinkle with half of the Italian-style cheese. Repeat layers one more time. Cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese on top is slightly brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 317.7 calories, Carbohydrate 21.3 g, Cholesterol 54.7 mg, Fat 18.8 g, Fiber 2.4 g, Protein 16.7 g, SaturatedFat 11.4 g, Sodium 1035.9 mg, Sugar 3.3 g
OLE POLENTA CASSEROLE
With plenty of ground beef and cheese, this layered bake goes over big on the dinner table. Adjust the amount of hot pepper sauce to suit your taste.-Angela Biggin, Lyons, Illinois
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h45m
Yield 6 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- For polenta, in a small bowl, whisk cornmeal, salt and 1 cup water until smooth. In a large saucepan, bring remaining water to a boil. Add cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. , Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Divide mixture between 2 greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1-1/2 hours., In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, herbs and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened., Loosen 1 polenta from sides and bottom of dish; invert onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and set aside. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the remaining polenta. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese. Top with reserved polenta and remaining meat mixture., Cover and bake at 350° until heated through, 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 345 calories, Fat 14g fat (7g saturated fat), Cholesterol 62mg cholesterol, Sodium 874mg sodium, Carbohydrate 29g carbohydrate (6g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 25g protein.
BEEF AND POLENTA BAKE
This filling ground beef casserole with a cornmeal-based crust comes together quick and will have everyone asking for seconds.
Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 1h
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- In 3-quart saucepan, heat milk, broth and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to boiling over medium heat. Gradually stir in polenta with whisk. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Spread polenta in baking dish.
- In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Remove beef; set aside. Add onion and mushrooms to skillet; cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until wilted. Stir in beef, pasta sauce and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Spoon mixture over polenta.
- Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 350, Carbohydrate 31 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 25 g, SaturatedFat 7 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 1190 mg
CHEESY POLENTA CASSEROLE
A fairly quick and simple recipe that utilizes store bought sauce and polenta to save time for busy folks. This casserole is VERY rich, so use small servings. Feel free to add more ingredients to the simmering sauce to suit your own tastes.
Provided by DOCTOR KITTEN
Categories Side Dish Grain Side Dish Recipes Polenta Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 8x8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in green pepper, garlic, and green onions; cook until the pepper softens, about 3 minutes. Pour in marinara sauce and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix together fontina and provolone in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of the polenta slices in the dish, top with 1/3 the fontina and provolone mixture. Spread a thin layer of sauce over cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top casserole with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 233.2 calories, Carbohydrate 22.3 g, Cholesterol 25.2 mg, Fat 10.8 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 11.5 g, SaturatedFat 5.7 g, Sodium 808.7 mg, Sugar 7.4 g
GREEN CORN TAMALE CASSEROLE
This recipe was posted from a restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. There are no tamales in the dish, but it does incorporate a cornmeal-type polenta with cheese, canned mild green chilies, corn and eggs. Sounds like it would be a great brunch item.
Provided by DailyInspiration
Categories Breakfast
Time 1h10m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Grease a 2-qt. baking dish.
- Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
- Beat yolks until thick and lemon colored.
- Stir cornmeal and salt into scalded milk; beating hard. Cook a few seconds over low heat stirring until mixture is the consistency of thick mush.
- Blend in butter, corn, cottage cheese and finally the baking powder into the cornmeal mixture.
- Fold in yolks, then whites.
- Pour into baking dish in layers of batter, grated cheese and chile, last layer being batter.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown.
POLENTA CHILI CASSEROLE
Our Test Kitchen created this delicious vegetarian bean and polenta bake that combines spicy chili, mixed veggies and homemade polenta. It's a warm and comfy casserole that is sure to please everyone, vegetarian or not.
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 55m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large heavy saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon 15-20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from sides of pan. , Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup cheddar cheese until melted., Spread into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat chili according to package directions. , Spread vegetables over polenta; top with chili. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 297 calories, Fat 7g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 20mg cholesterol, Sodium 556mg sodium, Carbohydrate 43g carbohydrate (7g sugars, Fiber 12g fiber), Protein 19g protein.
OLE' POLENTA CASSEROLE
This is another wonderful recipe from Taste of Home and one that my family really enjoys. It is easy to make and goes together rather quickly. The original recipe called for 1 t. dill weed, but since none of us are dill fans...we leave it out and don't miss it at all, as the casserole is already flavorful and well seasoned. It reminds me allot of beef tamales, but with allot less work!
Provided by Likkel
Categories Low Cholesterol
Time 40m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- For Polenta, in a small bowl, whisk cornmeal, salt and 1 cup of water until smooth. In a large saucepan, bring remaining water to a boil. Add cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until thickened.
- Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Divide the mixture between two greased 8 inch square baking dishes. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 ½ hours.
- In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, herbs and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened.
- Loosen one polenta from sides and bottom of dish; invert onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and set aside. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the remaining polenta that is still in a dish. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese. Top with reserved polenta and remaining meat mixture.
- Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 393.1, Fat 20, SaturatedFat 9.1, Cholesterol 77.5, Sodium 1042.1, Carbohydrate 28.5, Fiber 4.1, Sugar 6.7, Protein 26.2
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: This will make a big difference in the flavor of your dish. Look for fresh, ripe vegetables, and use high-quality cheese and spices.
- Don't overcook the polenta: Polenta should be cooked until it is tender but still has a slight bite to it. Overcooked polenta will be mushy and bland.
- Use a good quality salsa: The salsa is a key ingredient in this dish, so make sure to use one that you like. Look for a salsa that is flavorful and has a bit of a kick to it.
- Don't be afraid to experiment: There are many different ways to make polenta tamale casserole. Feel free to add or remove ingredients to suit your taste. For example, you could add black beans, corn, or chopped bell peppers.
Conclusion:
Polenta tamale casserole is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is a great way to use up leftover polenta, and it is also a good option for a vegetarian or vegan meal. This dish is sure to please everyone at the table.
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