Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe (2024)

Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe

posted by Amy Johnsonon January 24, 2019 32 comments »

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to Recipe

This Sautéed Mushrooms with Cheesy Polenta Recipe, flavorful mushrooms sautéd in herbs and a balsamic vinegar sauce, and served with creamy polenta with melted gouda cheese, is the perfect savory appetizer or main dish.

Over the years there are those meals that stand out as favorites. The ones you want to rush home to recreate right away. But sometimes life gets in the way, we get distracted and find ourselves years later still thinking about something like, say, mushrooms and creamy polenta.

Several years ago during a work trip to Napa, we were treated to a delightful dinner at Michael Chiarello’s famed Botega restaurant. Certainly not an everyday (or every year, for that matter) dining experience for me. A variety of appetizers were ordered for our group, but one stood out from the rest: Polenta Under Glass. I knew after the first bite of the rich balsamic mushroom sauce and cheesy polenta that evening that I wanted to come home and re-create that savory goodness as soon as possible.

Years went by as I delayed recreating the memorable dish. As you may know, stuff happens. We put off and postpone and shelve those things that add flavor to our lives, even something as simple as mushrooms and polenta. I don’t know why. Life is too short to leave anything on the back burner for too long.

Even though it took me a while to get around to recreating the wonderful flavor combination, it was definitely worth the (unnecessary) wait. Sautéed Mushrooms with Cheesy Polenta Recipe, a savory appetizer or main dish of flavorful mushrooms sautéd in herbs and a rich balsamic vinegar sauce, spooned over creamy polenta with melted gouda cheese, is a dish you shouldn’t wait to make. It’s obsession worthy, I promise. And such a simple dish to make. I don’t know why I waited so long. Make sure you don’t delay like I did. Try it soon!

Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe

Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe (3)

Sautéed Mushrooms with Cheesy Polenta Recipe

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Asavory appetizer or main dish of flavorful mushrooms sautéd in herbs and a rich balsamic vinegar sauce, spooned over creamy polenta with melted gouda cheese.

Ingredients

For mushrooms:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced (Baby Bella or mixture)
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced/grated
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • salt to taste

For polenta:

  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups instant polenta
  • 8 ounces gouda* cheese, shredded
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. For mushrooms: Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil ripples, add mushrooms; and cook stirring occasionally for 7 minutes. Stir in thyme, oregano, pepper and garlic; continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in balsamic vinegar, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, stirring constantly about 30 seconds. Stir in chicken broth, reduce to low. Stir in butter. Salt to taste. Keep warm.**
  2. For polenta: In a saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups milk and 2 1/4 cups chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; gradually stir in polenta; cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Add more liquid (broth, milk or water) as needed to achieve desired consistency. Remove from heat. Add shredded cheese; stir to combine until smooth. Salt to taste. Serve polenta warm topped with mushrooms.

Notes

*Other cheeses may be substituted. A few recommendations: Gouda, Gruyère, Havarti, Fontina, Cheddar

**For more sauce/gravy, increase chicken broth a tad—about 1/4 cup at a time to desired consistency.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

Originally published October 24, 2016.

Related Posts:

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce Recipe
Glazed Baby Back Ribs Recipe
Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Main Dishes

published on January 24, 2019

32 commentsLeave a comment »

« Previous PostCoconut Milk Baked Chicken Recipe

Next Post »Oatmeal Lemon Blueberry Bars

Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe (8)

ABOUT AMY

What began as a place for me to explore and share about my random hobbies and interests, has morphed into mostly sharing recipes — essentially a living, breathing, growing cookbook that is my absolute pleasure to share with you. The recipes here are simple, easy to prepare and nourishing for body and soul. Read more...

Get the Latest!

subscribe now and get new posts delivered via email:

Leave a Reply

32 comments on “Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe”

  1. Susie MandelReply

    Work trip to Napa–one of my favorite places in all the earth. 🙂 Michael Chiarello’s restaurant must have been awesome!!

  2. TraciReply

    Looks delicious, but I have a question. The picture shows the mushrooms glistening, but dry. In your recipe, the mushrooms require 3/4 cup of chicken froth, which should make it very saucy. Do you drain any excess liquid, or do you simmer till all the liquid has evaporated?

    • Amy Johnson

      It is saucy. The picture shows a serving with mushrooms that were added using a slotted spoon. More sauce is definitely better!

    • Ros Tangorra

      Thank you…just made mushrooms and was wondering why I had so much liquid

  3. JulieReply

    I can’t believe I stumbled upon this! I had the same dish at the same restaurant 6 years too and knew that I would have to have it again. I’m going to make it tomorrow! Thanks Amy. It really was an unbelievable dish.

    • Amy Johnson

      I hope you enjoy it, Julie!

  4. JanReply

    Hi. Made this last night for dinner. This is the best. Thank you for sharing

    • Amy Johnson

      Happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Jan!

  5. KellyReply

    Instead of regular milk, could I use an alternative? Almond or coconut milk perhaps?

  6. LouiseReply

    This recipe is delicious but the proportions seem way off. This makes about twice as much polenta as you need, even for 1.5 lbs of mushrooms. I ended up buying more mushrooms and reheating the leftover polenta, adding enough broth to restore it to its original consistency. Next time I will make half the amount of polenta and we will probably still have some left.

  7. SabrinaReply

    wow, have had most of these separately as a side dish, but never combined as a side dish or otherwise, thank you for this recipe

  8. SandraReply

    The restaurant is actually spelled Bottega. Here’s the actual recipe, if you want it:http://static.contentres.com/media/documents/8c58d3d7-0c32-4f57-8d2a-cdc14f6fced1.pdf

  9. LeaReply

    Thank you many times over for a delicious recipe for polenta! I’ve come back to this more times than I can count, it’s definately a requested recipe by friends and family at this point. I’m making it tomorrow in an enormous amount for my niece’s high school graduate party, her request! Delicious and the extra sauce is a bonus. 😁

  10. KatyReply

    A friend gifted me with some mushrooms and tried this recipe. I loved the results. Thanks Amy for sharing.

  11. LauraReply

    Thanks for the recipe. I enjoyed the mushrooms but found that they exuded so much liquid that I did not need the chicken broth. Other than that, they were great! I used another recipe for the polenta.

Leave a comment »

Sauteed Mushroom with Cheesy Polenta Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does polenta pair well with? ›

Spoon steamed or cooked veggies over hot polenta. Add cheese, herbs or other favorite seasonings. Top polenta with your favorite pasta sauce. Add sautéed greens and protein of choice including meats, cheese, lentils and legumes.

What is traditionally served with polenta? ›

Polenta can be served with various toppings, like tomato meat sauce or a “white” sauce of sausage and mushrooms. In Abruzzo, especially in the province of Aquila during Lent, polenta is served with snail sauce or cooked in milk and served seasoned with oil, garlic and chili peppers.

What is polenta made of? ›

Polenta is cornmeal made from ground flint corn. Typically, it's coarsely ground yellow corn, but sometimes it's finely ground yellow or white corn.

What protein goes well with polenta? ›

You can serve this basic side dish on its own or alongside protein such as Pressure-Cooker Short Ribs, pan-seared chicken, or seafood. Here, we're sharing our favorite ways to serve polenta for dinner as well as a few creative variations on this satisfying staple.

Is polenta good for the bowels? ›

Polenta contains both protein and fiber to help a person feel full. Fiber is also recommended to keep the digestive system functioning properly, to feed healthy gut bacteria, and to prevent constipation.

How do you make polenta taste better? ›

The Mix-Ins. In my opinion, the only things that should be added besides seasoning and milk are butter and Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese. Personally, I think Pecorino Romano is the better choice here. It has more of a sharp funk than Parmesan, plus a much creamier texture that melts more readily into warm polenta.

What do you eat with creamy polenta? ›

Soft and creamy

“Polenta is the perfect accompaniment to a flavourful, hearty ragu, grilled meats or sausages,” says the Florence-based food writer Emiko Davies. “I also love it with a stew of vongole [or pipis], with tomatoes and chilli.”

What are 2 types of polenta? ›

There are two maint types of polenta meal: fioretto and bramata (there is also taragna, which is a mixture of bramata and buckwheat meal). Then there is instant polenta, which is pretty disgusting but cooks in a few minutes.

What is polenta called in America? ›

Both grits and polenta fall under the heading of cornmeal, which is essentially a coarse flour, or “meal,” made from dried corn.

How do Italians eat polenta? ›

Historically, stews, roasted meats, or sausages might be served alongside polenta as a warm and soothing side dish throughout the winter months. In some parts of Italy, polenta can also be topped with different sauces or toppings and served cold, sliced, grilled, or fried.

Are grits the same as polenta? ›

Yes, both grits and polenta are made from ground corn, but the main difference here is what type of corn. Polenta, as you can probably guess from the color, is made from yellow corn, while grits are normally made from white corn (or hominy).

Is polenta better for you than mashed potatoes? ›

Polenta is high in protein and fiber, but compared to rice, pasta, or potatoes, it's much lower in calories and fat, yet still provides a source of complex carbs that are much-needed for energy. So, why not to try polenta out for your next meal?

Is polenta good for inflammation? ›

Surprisingly, polenta (which is none other than yellow cornmeal) is a powerful source of antioxidants like phenolic compounds, which can help reduce inflammation.

Can you eat polenta every day? ›

Fortunately, there are little to no potential side effects of polenta. However, it is important to highlight that a diet on polenta alone without other fresh fruits, vegetables and other sources of nutrition is not recommended. This is because it has very minimal vitamins and minerals if eaten on its own.

How is polenta best served? ›

Polenta is a cornmeal mush made by boiling cornmeal until it's tender. It can be served like a porridge or chilled until firm, sliced, and pan-fried for a crispier texture. While similar to grits, another type of cornmeal mush, polenta and grits are made with different varieties of corn.

Is polenta an inflammatory food? ›

Surprisingly, polenta (which is none other than yellow cornmeal) is a powerful source of antioxidants like phenolic compounds, which can help reduce inflammation.

Is polenta better for you than rice? ›

Polenta is often used to substitute grains like pasta and rice, as it's lower in calories and is a source of complex carbohydrates. Because complex carbohydrates aren't broken down as quickly as simple carbohydrates, it's ideal for individuals watching their blood sugar levels.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nicola Considine CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6628

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (69 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nicola Considine CPA

Birthday: 1993-02-26

Address: 3809 Clinton Inlet, East Aleisha, UT 46318-2392

Phone: +2681424145499

Job: Government Technician

Hobby: Calligraphy, Lego building, Worldbuilding, Shooting, Bird watching, Shopping, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.