I would be entirely happy and comfortable with that big bowl and a spoon.

The fresh herb flavors popping through with hints of smoked gouda in every creamy extremely satisfying bite!

What is Polenta?

Polenta, dubbed “Italian Grits”, is a staple in Northern Italy. Made from ground yellow cornmeal, this grain is wildly versatile. Grits, on the other hand, are a popular breakfast staple in southern cuisine. They are made from either finely stone-ground white corn or hominy. Both are typically served ‘mush’ style or in cake form.

The Fresh Herbs

Adding fresh herbs to the polenta completely elevates the flavor profile.

I chose my favorite blend, I call it the Simon & Garfunkel….parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Each of these individually or any combination will work wonderfully. Simply sauté the chopped herbs in butter for a few minutes to infuse their flavors. Then stir the herby butter into the cooked creamy cornmeal.

The Cheese – Smoked Gouda

For the cheese I like a smoked cheese, again to add another layer of flavor. You could use cheddar, gruyere, even goat cheese would be delicious swirled through creamy polenta.

Perfect Polenta

Polenta is the perfect vehicle to use in place of rice, especially when there’s a savory sauce involved. Or serve this as a gluten free alternative to pasta.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Herby Polenta {with Smoked Gouda}

The fresh herbs flavors popping through with hints of smoked gouda in every creamy extremely satisfying bite!

Course Side Dish

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons freshly chopped herbs (like parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups water, divided
• 2 cups chicken or veggie broth
• 1 cup yellow polenta
• 1 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a small saute pan over medium low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add in chopped fresh herbs and saute for 1-2 minutes. Reserve.
• Bring 2 1/2 cups water and 2 cups broth to a boil in a heavy bottomed large saucepan. Slowly whisk in the polenta, bringing to a low boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, stirring constantly until polenta begins to thicken. Cover and continue to cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes or until polenta is tender, stirring every 3-4 minutes to keep from sticking to bottom of pan. If polenta is thicker than desired you can whisk in more water, a couple tablespoons at a time.
• Stir in melted herb butter and the shredded gouda cheese, stirring with wooden spoon until cheese is melted. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Best served immediately as polenta will thicken as it stands. To reheat stir in a little water, broth or milk. Enjoy!

Notes

Depending on how coarsely ground the polenta is the cooking time and amount of water will vary.  Adjust accordingly.

The post Herby Polenta {with Smoked Gouda} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The pictures don’t do this recipe justice, but I am here to tell you that Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna is pure comfort.  Surprisingly, that comfort is delivered without a guilt trip.  That’s right, this recipe came straight out of the new Weight Watchers cook book AND it’s made in the slow cooker.  Badda bing.  Badda boom.

The star ingredient in this recipe is a tube of polenta.  Not only does it replace traditional lasagna noodles, making this a gluten free recipe, but it also adds a wonderful creaminess to the overall dish.

I made a couple modifications to the original recipe.  First, I replaced Sweet Italian Sausage with Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage.  They’re not spicy hot, but they do bring a bit of flavor punch.  Then I substituted chopped frozen spinach for frozen kale, only because I couldn’t find kale in my grocer’s freezer.  I also increased the amount of parmesan & mozzarella cheese.  Well because cheese.

The original recipe was for 6 servings at 8 WW Pts+ per.  We easily got 8 servings, so even with my additions, each serving weighed in at only 8 WW Pts+ or 320 calories.

Once the sausage and mushrooms are pan browned, all the ingredients are layered lasagna style in your slow cooker.  Marinara sauce, sliced polenta, mushrooms, sausage, spinach, zucchini, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and seasonings; repeat.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.  Once hot and bubbly, turn off slow cooker, top lasagna with mozzarella cheese and allow to rest covered for 20 minutes.

I’m really loving this new Weight Watchers cook book.  So much so I’ve basically kidnapped it.  You see it belongs to my Healthy Choices buddy DJ.  We’ve sort of worked out a deal.  If I can hang onto it for a bit longer I promised to bring her samples of anything I make.  I think it’s working out well for both of us :)

Today I hauled the whole crockpot to work to Share the Love.  Everyone who sampled, loved this recipe.  They couldn’t believe that Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna was figure friendly as well.  That’s what bold flavors and creamy comfort can do for a dish.

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Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author lightly adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 one-pound tube polenta cut into 18 slices
• 1 zucchini thinly sliced
• 1 10- ounce box frozen spinach thawed & squeezed dry
• 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 24- ounce jar favorite marinara sauce
• 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Remove sausage from casings and brown in skillet, breaking up with wooden spoon until cooked through. Remove from pan and pour off any grease. Brown mushrooms in skillet coated with cooking spray.
• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup sauce to bottom of slow cooker. Layer 6 slices of polenta. Top with half of the sausage and half of the mushrooms. Add half of the zucchini slices and half of the spinach. Spread 1/2 cup of ricotta over top (I used a teaspoon to drop ricotta). Sprinkle 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, Mrs. Dash and basil. Spread 1 cup of sauce over layers.
• Add 6 more slices of polenta, then top with remaining sausage, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheese. Spread 1 cup of sauce over layers. Add remaining 6 slices of polenta and top with remaining sauce.
• Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Lasagna will be hot and bubbly. Turn off slow cooker. Spread mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

The post Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Herb Infused Polenta {with Poached Eggs}.

Not exactly what I had in mind as I entered the kitchen this morning.  However sitting here just minutes after enjoying it for Sunday brunch I’m in love with the flavors lingering on my tongue.  They’re familiar and comfortable.  Equally as exciting to the taste buds is their aroma.  They are fresh herbs.

You could say we’re doing a little Spring Cleaning at our house.  It began three weeks ago when we once again were staring into a pantry of chaos and a fridge/freezer that was crammed full of…..well, we’re still finding out all of what was in there.

Today I began with the tail end of an open bag of polenta that remarkably surfaced after peeling back a few layers of pantry chaos.  Herb Infused Polenta {with Poached Eggs} was born.

While the polenta cooked, I infused melted butter in a skillet with sprigs of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme.  Also known as the Simon & Garfunkel blend in our house.  When the polenta finished cooking (I used the slow cooking 30-minute method), I stirred in the infused butter, about 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and some cracked black pepper.  The mixture was nice and thick and could be enjoyed straight away, however we love polenta that is allowed to rest in an oiled dish, then turned out onto a platter.  Mostly because it then begs to be topped with something yummy like say….creole shrimp or BBQ pulled pork or a meaty ragù.

Today our polenta cake was the base for brunch and we topped it with a nice ripe diced tomato, warm poached eggs, fresh parsley and basil, a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, and a good drizzle of one of my favorite olive oils…..Organic Tuscan Herb.  Had I found a link or two of Italian Sausage in the freezer they would have been wonderful along side our Herb Infused Polenta {with Poached Eggs}.

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Herb Infused Polenta {with Poached Eggs}

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup polenta yellow corn grits
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbl. butter
• fresh herb sprigs such as parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
• eggs
• 1 ripe tomato fine diced
• fresh parsley and/or basil sprigs
• salt & pepper
• good quality olive oil such as Organic Tuscan Herb

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pan bring water and 1/2 tsp. salt to boil. Slowly stir in polenta, then reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until mixture is very thick, about 30 minutes; stirring frequently to avoid sticking.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet and add 5-6 sprigs of fresh herbs, stems in tack. Gently stir herbs in melted butter for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat. Remove herbs sprigs and discard.
• When polenta is done remove from heat and stir in herb infused butter, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Pour polenta into a well oiled shallow baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare poached eggs to desired doneness.

To serve…

• Turn polenta out onto a platter. Top with diced tomato, poached eggs, fresh chopped basil and parsley, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, pinch of salt and cracked black pepper, drizzle of good quality olive oil.

The post Herb Infused Polenta {with Poached Eggs} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ve had requests for more fish and seafood recipes lately and since there aren’t enough hours in the day and days in the week, we’ll be sharing some recipes from the archives.  Like this beautiful Blackened Flounder with Creamy Polenta.

This might be a good time to give you a quick background on how it came to be that I can’t seem to eat anything without picturing it.  About a year and a half ago, my company decided it was time to have a facebook presence, and so I too bit the bullet and signed up for my own personal page (I was a little behind the times).  One of the first pictures I posted was of a Bodacious Roast Chicken.  I think 10 of my 20 friends at the time responded in some way.  So the next night I posted a picture of the Chicken Enchiladas we made from the leftover chicken, which created a little buzz amongst friends.  On the third day I shared a picture of our Mexican Spaghetti and Meatballs using the homemade enchiladas sauce….by this time I was called out for bragging (in a good way) and it hit me.  Not everyone shares the same passion for cooking that I do.  That’s when I created an album on my personal facebook page called “What’s for Dinner” and posted a picture of dinner every night for almost a year.  I wish there was a way to share a link to that album with you.  The evolution of recipes, plating, and photography is rather fun to see.

When I’d run into friends the first thing they would say is “What’s for Dinner Libby?”  It had become my thing.  I hadn’t ever really thought about starting a blog, since I was mostly intrigued by food pictures and much less about citing a recipe.  But as time went on and my daughter Shelby began to cook and share recipes I realized a blog might be the perfect way to record recipes and an occasional story with her.  As you can see, 451 words later and not even a mention of a Blackened Flounder with Creamy Polenta recipe, I’ve learned to open up some since we began Lemony Thyme back in June.   So while I still cook dinner almost every night I thought it might be fun to go back and share some of my favorites from our What’s for Dinner album archives.

To blacken the flounder, we dusted each side generously with our Cajun rub (garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground oregano, brown sugar, and black pepper) and pan sauteed until cooked through.  We served it on a nice bed of Creamy Polenta with a side of Brussels Sprout Slaw.  This meal has the right balance of heat from the blackening seasonings offset by the creamy polenta and cooled slightly with a bite of slaw.  We may have to do more than bring back the ‘picture’ of Blackened Flounder with Creamy Polenta from the archives.

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Blackened Flounder & Creamy Polenta {with Brussels Sprout Slaw}

This meal has the right balance of heat from the blackening seasonings offset by the creamy polenta and cooled slightly with a bite of slaw.

Course Seafood

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the blackened flounder…

• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. flounder 4 fillets
• 1/4 cup Cajun rub
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 Tbl. sunflower or canola oil

For the polenta…

• 1 cup raw Polenta yellow cornmeal
• 4 cups chicken broth or water
• ½ cup cream
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• Salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 cups Brussels Sprout Slaw optional
• fresh cilantro leaves and thinly sliced scallion for garnish

Instructions

For the polenta…

• Bring chicken stock, cream, and salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and bring mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Add additional tablespoons of broth or water if needed.
• When polenta is done, stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt & cayenne to taste.

For the blackened flounder…

• Generously coat both sides of flounder fillets with favorite Cajun rub.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbl. butter and 1 Tbl. oil to high. Add two fillets at a time browning 2-3 minutes per side until fish flakes with a fork. Add additional Tbl. of butter and oil and repeat with remaining fillets.
• Serve flounder on a bed of creamy polenta. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro leaves and scallions.
• Delicious with a side of coleslaw.

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