Mushroom Polenta with Leek Confit

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Tired of the same old dinner routine? Spice up your weeknights with a delicious and comforting meal that’s sure to satisfy: Mushroom Polenta with Leek Confit! This hearty vegetarian dish is deliciously savory, creamy in texture, and packed full of flavor. It takes minutes to prepare yet will give you a restaurant-worthy experience perfect for any night at home -- plus, it's sure to impress even the most picky eaters. Get ready to enjoy this amazingly flavorful treat as we explore each step needed to create it. Bon Appétit!

My Polenta obsession is going strong! This Mushroom Polenta with Leek Confit is the perfect vegetarian comfort meal for these cozy months!

Crispy Mushroom and Leek Confit Polenta from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)


 

Mushroom Polenta is one of the easiest dishes that's made from ground cornmeal which is cooked in water or broth until it becomes a thick, creamy porridge. That's polenta in it's simplest form. In my opinion, you must jazz it up with a number of things to really make it shine. Mushroom Polenta on it's own isn't loaded with flavor, but Polenta mixed with milk, butter, parmesan and some creative toppings is actual comfort in a bowl! In this case, my Mushroom Polenta is getting some crispy mushrooms, a spoonful of leek confit and a healthy dose of salty parmesan cheese!

If you're in the market for even more comforting recipes like this Mushroom Polenta - these are my favorites:

Crispy Mushroom and Leek Confit Polenta from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Caramelized Mushroom Polenta

Author: Gaby Dalkin
5 from 2 votes
This hearty vegetarian dish is deliciously savory, creamy in texture, and packed full of flavor. It takes minutes to prepare yet will give you a restaurant-worthy experience perfect for any night at home.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

For the Polenta

  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup polenta
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

For the Mushrooms

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 pounds maitake mushroom torn apart into LARGE pieces
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 shallot finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves smashed and roughly chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine
  • 1 recipe Leek Confit

Instructions
 

  • Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Slowly add the polenta, stir with a wooden spoon, and add 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the polenta is tender and full cooked, about 20 minutes. Add the milk, 2 tablespoon of the butter, and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the polenta and stir together over medium-low heat until just warmed through and soft enough to drop easily from a spoon, a few minutes more. Cover to keep warm.
  • For the Mushroom; Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are crispy but still juicy, seasoning with salt and pepper toward the end of cooking. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme and cook for 4 minutes more. Add the half and half and the wine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid thickens just slightly and coats the mushrooms evenly, a few minutes more. Discard the thyme sprig and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
  • To serve, layer in a spoonful of polenta in a serving bowl followed by a spoonful of the confit and then top with mushrooms and parmesan.

Notes

Polenta is perfect on its own for a light meal, maybe with a green salad. You can also make it go further by serving alongside a protein.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1051IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 2mg
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Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking

23 Comments

  1. Looks divine! Question: I bought a big Costco container of dried wild mushrooms, could I use these, rehydrated?

    1. I haven't tried it with ready polenta so I can't say with certainty. But I'd assume it would totally work!

  2. What an incredible opportunity and the food from the event looks ahhmazing! This caramelized mushroom polenta is the perfect cozy meal on a chilly fall night! It's like a big warm hug!

  3. This looks yummy!

    How much in advance of. Dinner party could I make this? Ie can it “warm” for an 45 min or hour during apps or do I need to choose something else?

    Also the men coming insist on meat 🙂 is there a meat main you’d recommend long side?

    Thank you!

    1. that would totally work to keep it warm during appetizers! You could even make the polenta a day ahead of time and add some extra liquid if you need to thin it out.

      I'd do a flank steak or something like that for the meat main!

5 from 2 votes

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