Description
This Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta with Ratatouille is a comforting and elegant dish featuring tender, oven-baked ratatouille vegetables paired with rich, creamy polenta enhanced by tangy goat cheese. The dish is finished with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil for added texture and aroma, making it a perfect meal for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Ratatouille
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 1 small globe eggplant, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 medium yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 yellow, red, or orange bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 4 Roma tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
Polenta
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1½ cups stone-ground polenta or yellow cornmeal
- 8 ounces goat cheese (6 oz to stir in, 2 oz for topping)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, minced
Instructions
- Prepare the Ratatouille Dish: Preheat your oven to 375°F and place the oven rack in the center. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Rub the cut sides of the garlic clove over the bottom and sides of the dish to infuse flavor, then discard the garlic.
- Prepare the Vegetables: On a clean surface, spread out the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, and onion. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle with garlic powder, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Toss everything gently to evenly coat the slices with seasoning and oil.
- Arrange and Bake Ratatouille: Carefully arrange the vegetable slices in the baking dish in a circular overlapping pattern starting from the outer edge toward the center, alternating types of vegetables for visual appeal. Scatter the fresh thyme leaves evenly over the top. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the cover and continue baking uncovered for an additional 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Cook the Polenta: While the ratatouille bakes, bring the chicken or vegetable stock, whole milk, kosher salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium pan over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and slowly whisk in the stone-ground polenta. Stir frequently and cook until the polenta thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, approximately 30 minutes.
- Incorporate Goat Cheese: Remove the polenta from heat and stir in 6 ounces of goat cheese until melted and fully incorporated, creating a creamy texture. If the polenta is too thick, add more milk gradually to reach desired consistency.
- Serve: Divide the creamy polenta evenly among six bowls. Spoon a generous amount of the baked ratatouille on top of each portion. Finish by crumbling additional goat cheese over each bowl, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, and garnish with minced fresh basil leaves for a flavorful and visually appealing presentation.
Notes
- You can use either chicken or vegetable stock depending on your preference or dietary needs.
- For a thinner, creamier polenta, add extra milk as needed during or after cooking.
- Make sure to slice all vegetables evenly for uniform cooking in the ratatouille.
- To toast pine nuts, gently heat them in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant, watching carefully to prevent burning.
- This dish can be made vegetarian by choosing vegetable stock and ensuring your goat cheese is free from animal rennet if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 1/6 of recipe)
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
