Polenta and Vegetables with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
A hearty vegetarian dish featuring creamy polenta topped with charred seasonal vegetables and a smooth roasted red pepper sauce. The polenta is enriched with Parmesan cheese and served with a colorful medley of broiled vegetables including asparagus, eggplant, squash, and cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients
- •1 cup uncooked instant polenta
- •⅔ cup grated Parmesan
- •¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- •1 spray Vegetable oil cooking spray
- •2 cloves garlic
- •2 tablespoon fresh thyme
- •¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- •1 tablespoon olive oil
- •8 stalks asparagus
- •8 whole scallions
- •2 whole eggplants
- •1 whole yellow squash
- •1 cup cherry tomatoes
- •12 ounces roasted red peppers
- •⅓ cup vegetable broth
- •1 clove garlic
- •3 tablespoon fresh herbs
- •1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta in a stream, whisking to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with cayenne and salt. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer polenta to pie plate, smooth into an even layer and let cool 15 minutes. Heat broiler. Whisk garlic, thyme, lemon juice and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with dressing. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange vegetables in 1 layer (or in 1 layer in a grill basket). Broil vegetables about 4 inches from heat until tender and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle polenta with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Broil polenta in pie plate until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then cut polenta into 8 triangles. Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetables, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chives. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.
35 min