Between the book and the blog, I've been dealing with a lot of writer's block lately and the internet is the best remedy for that. While writing this post, I bought a cat cave on Etsy, I browsed Houzz and remodeled my kitchen in my head (where I have an unlimited budget!), and I spent 30 minutes looking at pictures of airbrushed vans on Google Images. When I was a kid, I always wished that someday, my family would get a big van with wizard or nature scenery painted on the side. Eventually, my parents did get a big van, but there was no wizard on the side. This is how life goes. Sometimes, you wish for an airbrushed van, but you only get a regular van.
This isn't a Christmas recipe, but it's a good meal for this week because it's simple and unfussy. It's a hectic time of year and you need simple dinners! You roast Brussels sprouts and wild mushrooms in the oven and while you're doing that, you cook a pot of polenta. Polenta doesn't have much flavor on its own, so I've added some cheese and fresh sage to give it a bit of a boost. Sage is one of my favorite herbs to use at this time of year—something about it just works so well with fall and winter veggies. These polenta bowls are one of those meals that's so delicious, it's hard to believe how easy they are to make.
We have lots of other holiday ideas for you too! Here are a few:
Rosemary-Infused Vodka, the perfect last-minute DIY hostess gift.
Need some gluten-free dessert ideas? This Cranberry Citrus Coconut Bundt Cake is a showstopper and these Pistachio-Crusted Chewy Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are great for a holiday cookie exchange. And don't forget the Coconut Milk Whipped Cream!
My Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix is a delicious DIY Christmas gift—I even have printable labels for it! You'll find more edible homemade gift ideas here!
If I have time, I'll be making Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies and Grasshopper Brownie Cookies to bring to Christmas dinner. They are two of our favorite cookie recipes!
This Cranberry Orange Spritzer is made without alcohol, so it's kid-friendly, but you can always booze it up for the adults too.
Merry Christmas!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts trimmed and quartered
- 1 4-ounce package assorted wild mushrooms (fresh, not dried)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup instant polenta
- ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Toss the Brussels sprouts and mushrooms in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.
- While the veggies are roasting, bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the polenta and continue to whisk constantly until the polenta is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup of Parmesan, sage, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the polenta into 4 bowls and top each with ¼ of the roasted veggies and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
Louise says
This looks delicious. Is there anything vegan I can sub in for parmesan as I dont eat it (vegetarian) and my son is dairy allergic. is the purpose of the cheese just to 'cream' it up?
Really want to try this recipe. Thanks!!
Kiersten Frase says
I've seen a few people mention on Pinterest that they were going to make this recipe with nutritional yeast, although since I haven't tried it myself, I can't tell you how it would taste or how much to use. A vegan cheese (maybe mozzarella-style?) would probably work too. There are vegetarian versions of parmesan cheese--imported parm is always non-veg because of EU labeling laws, but many domestic parms are made without rennet. I like the Organic Valley brand myself. I know that doesn't help your son, but in case you make it for yourself!
Lauryn says
Are nutrition information counts available for any of the recipes, such as the sage polenta or wuinoa stuffed portobello mushrooms?
Kiersten Frase says
Sorry, we don't calculate nutritional info for our recipes. Here's a site you can use: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Dana says
Just made this tonight and it was DIVINE! I just wish the polenta I had on hand was instant. Thanks for the recipe.
Kiersten Frase says
I can only find instant polenta around here! 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
ami@naivecookcooks says
This looks good. My mouth is watering!
Donna Leone says
Thanks for a tasty and lovely recipe! I'm trying to avoid bread and wheat gluten, and I'm considering substituting rice for the French bread. Any thoughts or other ideas? Thanks.
Kiersten Frase says
There's no bread in this recipe, so you should be good to go!
Erin says
I am not a mushroom fan, any suggestions as to what to use in its place?
Kiersten Frase says
Butternut squash would work well, or you could just use more Brussels sprouts instead.
Erin says
I'm planning to use roasted walnut instead of mushrooms and I think that will be a delicious substitute that also provides a bit of satisfying crunch!
an says
I made this tonight for me and my boyfriend and unfortunately found it to be very disappointing - I even added in some butter to both the vegetables and the polenta and didn't find it to have much flavour (the best bit were the mushrooms, I have to say). Are you able to post some new veggie meals without polenta?
Meg says
You may just need to ramp up the seasoning to your taste. If you're not vegetarian, I'd add some bacon or the equivalent. Or you can top with a fried egg. I've made variations of this meal with various roasted or sauteed veggies on top of polenta. and loved them all.
Meg says
And yes, I realize I'm on a veggie site. 🙂 Just giving options to others.
Lacey says
Is this something that could be made ahead and frozen?
Kiersten Frase says
No, I wouldn't try that - the polenta wouldn't be creamy anymore and the veggies would probably be mushy. Polenta cakes are a much better option for freezing vs. the creamy kind you serve in a bowl.
Nidhi says
Oh my God! I have never eaten brussel sprouts and have not felt the need to have to try them but just looking at your picture and recipe I cannot wait to try it! Looks gorgeous!
Jen says
This was my first time making polenta and it turned out great. Delicious!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
LizM says
This is the first vegetarian dish I've tried. My husband and I loved it. This is a good start to eating more vegetarian.
Janette says
Well this sounds awesome! I just bought some polenta the other day and was trying to think of some ways to spice it up a bit! Thanks for sharing!
CJ says
I was weary of this recipe as I'm generally never a fan of brussels sprouts, but wow oh wow was this meal amazing! I bought the polenta roll as I had no idea one could buy polenta dry in a box. I added water and stirred and stirred until it looked like the picture. I've made this recipe twice in the past month and haven't been disappointed. Thanks for sharing.
Paula Exton says
I love Polenta & Brussel sprouts so was sorry to see the recipe contains Parmesan which is not vegetarian because of the calf rennet used in its making.
Alissa says
Hi Paula! Just check the label when buying Parmesan - not all brands contain animal rennet. This article has some guidance: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/blog/parmesan-cheese-veg-or-not
Emily says
Made this with grits instead of polenta. Cooked the grits in chicken stock, milk, and a bit of heavy cream, adding sage at the end. Then I sautéed the Brussels and mushrooms in oil with sage, rosemary, and thyme. Finished with balsamic at the end. Turned out delicious!