Parmesan infused creamy polenta squares, topped with garlic sauteed spinach, thyme & balsamic sauteed mushrooms, and bubbly & melted cheese! This is one of my absolute favorite vegetarian recipes ever. You could also serve it with a perfectly poached egg on top if you prefer (optional). Remember this Polenta Lasagna? That perfect cold winter night meal with layers of cheesy goodness, polenta infused with flavorful hidden veggie pasta sauce (marinara sauce)? There’s so much that I loved about that dish that I think we may have gone a little overboard with the polenta after that because we couldn’t stop eating it.
Mushroom polenta stacks
And that my friends is how we arrive at these Spinach and Mushroom Polenta Stacks today! This is the result of another one of my sneaky attempts at making my husband eat a vegetarian meal, and I almost pulled off the impossible! And he was half way through enjoying this one, before he even realized it and boy was he surprised! 😀 These were right up there with this Roasted Eggplant Caponata with Brown Butter Pasta, and these Roasted Vegetables as some of his favorite vegetarian meals!
Why I love this mushroom polenta stacks recipe
So if you’re looking for an awesome vegetarian meal that’s as impressive as it is delicious and comforting, then these mushroom polenta stacks with spinach and cheese should absolutely be on your menu! Yes, it takes a little longer than rice and pasta recipes, but the great thing about polenta is that you can make it in bulk and store for later. Like for this mushroom polenta stacks recipe. You can of course use instant polenta which would make this recipe even quicker, but if you do have access to good stone-ground polenta, I definitely recommend it. The flavor is so much better, so much so that you don’t even have to add any additional flavoring (like butter or stock or cheese), although I did flavor it some here for even better results. But with instant polenta, you’d have to add a lot more of it to coax out any flavor.
How to make mushroom polenta stacks
So once the polenta is cooked, you transfer it to a sheet pan, spread it evenly and then let it cool down and set (a couple of hours at room temp., but quicker in the fridge). While it cools, you cook the mushrooms and spinach on the stove. Once the polenta has set, you cut squares and assemble the spinach, mushrooms and grated cheese on top and then into the oven it goes for 20-30 minutes until the polenta is heated through and the cheese is bubbly and melted! Then remove from the oven, stack two polenta squares as shown in the pictures and serve with maybe a poached egg on top and chopped herbs for a truly spectacular vegetarian meal that’s dripping with flavor! Creamy polenta squares infused with a touch of Parmesan, topped with garlic sauteed spinach, and thyme & balsamic sauteed mushrooms and grated cheese! Maybe even a perfectly poached egg on top and some chopped herbs? I mean just look at this. These mushroom polenta stacks are perfect for dinner parties, weekend dinners or even a fancy week night meal. Vegetarian doesn’t always have to be just risotto or boiled vegetables you know? You could even freeze the assembled mushroom polenta stacks (minus the cheese) for later and then on the day you need ’em, just sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake. These are classic flavour combinations, but together they make for an extraordinarily delicious, cozy and impressive vegetarian meal! If you liked this recipe don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address below or on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
