This is from the New York Times cooking website. It’s an amazing dish and a great brunch item. There are a couple of changes that I made, and I highlighted them inside parenthesis. Anyway you do it though, it will become your new favorite!
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup whole milk
½ cup to 1 cup of fontina or mozzarella, or a blend, shredded
5 ounces thinly sliced cured meat, such as hot or sweet Italian sausage, salami or ham (the recipe calls for this to be optional – it is completely not optional!)
1 packed cup spinach, kale or other leafy green, torn or chopped (optional) (Not optional and I think the spinach worked perfectly!)
8 large eggs
½ cup to a cup of grated Parmesan
Ground black pepper
¼ cup packed basil leaves, larger ones roughly torn (optional)
Heat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the center.
Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch pan and set aside.
Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta and salt, and cook, stirring constantly until the polenta bubbles and pulls away from the pan, about 3 minutes.
Vigorously stir in the milk, butter and cheese (I didn’t add any cheese to the polenta) until smooth and creamy. (It will seem loose.)
Spread the polenta onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with meat, cheese, greens or anything else you desire. Use the back of a large spoon to create 8 small wells in the polenta. Crack the eggs inside the well, sprinkle with Parmesan, and bake 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how set you like your eggs. Let stand for 5 minutes; sprinkle with black pepper and basil (if you are using– I didn’t use it) and serve warm.
Cheesy Breakfast Egg and Polenta Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup quick-cooking polenta
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup to 1 cup of fontina or mozzarella, or a blend, shredded
- 5 ounces thinly sliced cured meat, such as hot or sweet Italian sausage, salami or ham (the recipe calls for this to be optional – it is completely not optional!)
- 1 packed cup spinach, kale or other leafy green, torn or chopped (optional) (Not optional and I think the spinach worked perfectly!)
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup to a cup of grated Parmesan
- Ground black pepper
- ¼ cup packed basil leaves, larger ones roughly torn (optional)
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the center.
Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch pan and set aside.
Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta and salt, and cook, stirring constantly until the polenta bubbles and pulls away from the pan, about 3 minutes.
Vigorously stir in the milk, butter and cheese (I didn’t add any cheese to the polenta) until smooth and creamy. (It will seem loose.)
Spread the polenta onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with meat, cheese, greens or anything else you desire. Use the back of a large spoon to create 8 small wells in the polenta. Crack the eggs inside the well, sprinkle with Parmesan, and bake 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how set you like your eggs. Let stand for 5 minutes; sprinkle with black pepper and basil (if you are using– I didn’t use it) and serve warm.
3 Comments
Lisa Schrimmer
June 26, 2019 at 1:05 pmI’ll keep you posted! Will make this for the crowd in Maine this week!
Amy
January 8, 2020 at 11:42 pmOMG – you just want to lap it up – the polenta is amazing as a base for the meat and greens – and then there’s the eggs! Yum!
lizabett
January 10, 2020 at 10:15 amThanks Amy! It’s one of our favorites!