Recipe Review

Make This Vegetarian Polenta Bake for Dinner & Eat the Leftovers for Brunch

Lauren Kodiak
Lauren KodiakCopy Chief
Lauren is the Copy Chief for Kitchn. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their son.
updated May 1, 2019
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I love when dinner leftovers can seamlessly transform into brunch fare the next day. This polenta bake, with mushrooms, caramelized onions, and ricotta, is a perfect example. It’s a slightly labor-intensive dish, but if you play your cards right, you’ll get two meals out of it.

As I mentioned, this dish takes a little patience and effort — make it for dinner on Saturday, or whenever you have extra time to spend in the kitchen.

You have to make the polenta on the stovetop; caramelize some onions; sauté the mushrooms, garlic, and spinach; assemble everything in a baking dish; and top with ricotta and goat cheese. After baking for 20 minutes or so, sprinkle fresh thyme leaves over the polenta before serving.

This dish serves a crowd, so unless you’re hosting dinner guests (or have a family or a few roommates to feed), you’ll have leftovers. Serve them with a couple poached eggs the next morning for an easy brunch.