Name: Easy Baked Polenta with Mushroom Topping
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 8 cups water; 2 cups medium-grind polenta; 2 teaspoons salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 cup minced shallot; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 cups)

Why This Recipe Works

Creamy polenta—basically a porridge of cornmeal and water—is a comforting Italian side dish, but cooking it on the stovetop means up to a half-hour of nonstop stirring. Using the same ratio of cornmeal to water (1:4) and the right kind of polenta (medium-grain polenta or cornmeal), we were able to adapt traditional polenta into a completely hands-off dish. A shallow-sided baking dish sped up the cooking time, and a moderate oven prevented the liquid from evaporating too quickly, which could cause dry pockets. Butter and Parmesan stirred in at the end added richness.

Before You Begin

You can use medium-grind cornmeal in place of the polenta; they are different names for the same thing. Don’t use instant polenta, however. You can substitute 1½ pounds of any fresh, wild mushrooms, such as oyster, for the white mushrooms (wild mushrooms tend to have more waste when trimming than white mushrooms).

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine water, polenta, salt, and pepper in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Transfer dish to oven and bake, uncovered, until water is absorbed and polenta has thickened, about 60 minutes.

After 45 minutes, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid is released and mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat to ensure that shallot and garlic don’t burn. Add wine and cook until reduced to syrup, about 1 minute. Add broth and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, swirl in 2 tablespoons butter and parsley.

Remove baking dish from oven and whisk Parmesan and remaining 4 tablespoons butter into polenta until smooth and creamy. Spoon mushroom mixture over polenta and serve.