Polenta With Parmesan and Tomato Sauce

This is my favorite way to serve polenta, and it’s the simplest, too. My son loves it — maybe your kids will feel the same.

Ingredients

• 1 cup polenta
• 1 quart water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan optional, plus additional for sprinkling
• 1 ½ cups Fresh Tomato Sauce or Simple Marinara Sauce

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    229 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 14 milligrams cholesterol; 1159 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves four

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the butter and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the Parmesan, if using. Spoon onto plates, make a depression in the middle and spoon 1/4 heaped cup of simple tomato sauce into the depression. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

• You can also cook the polenta in the microwave.
• You can make this dish with leftover or chilled polenta. 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish. Cut the polenta into squares or rectangles, and arrange the polenta in the dish, overlapping the pieces slightly. Spread the tomato sauce over the slices, and sprinkle on the Parmesan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. 2. Place in the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until sizzling. Remove from the heat and serve.
• Variation: Polenta and Tomato Sauce Gratin Advance preparation: Both the cooked polenta, and the tomato sauce will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator. The gratin can be assembled a day ahead, and kept in the refrigerator. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

1 hour 15 minutes