Author: The New York Times via Ciao Chow Linda
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Easy and delicious, make-ahead, cheese polenta breakfast bake
- 2 T. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the casserole
- 1 cup quick cooking polenta (NOT the kind already made in a tube)
- ½ t. sea salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup/2 ounces fontina or mozzarella cheese (I used about 3 oz. of a herbal Boursin cheese)
- 5 ounces cooked bacon (or sausage, salami or ham) - optional
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 6 large eggs (or 8 if your casserole is large enough)
- ½ cup/2 ounces parmesan cheese
- ground black pepper
- ¼ cup basil leaves to scatter
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch casserole and set aside.
- Cook the bacon in the oven on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until crisp. (This can be done the day before.)
- Pour 4 cups of water in a large pot and gradually whisk in the polenta and salt.
- Cook, switching from a whisk to a wooden spoon, stirring constantly until the polenta bubbles and pulls away from the pan, about 3 minutes.
- Vigorously stir in the milk, butter and cheese until smooth and creamy. (It will seem loose.)
- Spread the polenta onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Using the back of a spoon, or a small bowl, make indentations in the polenta for the eggs.
- (The polenta can be cooked the day before.)
- When ready to bake, scatter some of the spinach over the polenta and crack the eggs into the wells.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake until the eggs have reached the doneness you prefer.
- After 20 minutes, my whites were just cooked and the yolks appeared a bit runny. I would have preferred them runnier, but the whites took longer to set than the yolks.
- Sprinkle with black pepper, scatter some basil leaves over everything, and serve, with buttered toast made from good, sturdy bread.
Recipe by Ciao Chow Linda at https://ciaochowlinda.com/2018/12/polenta-breakfast-bake.html
3.5.3251