Baked Polenta with Tomato Poached Eggs is a delicious dish to enjoy anytime of the day. Creamy, no-fuss polenta is topped with an easy tomato sauce full of deep greens and perfectly poached eggs.
I can’t believe summer has come to a close once again. Fall is trickling in, only noticeable by a few yellow-tinged leaves scattered throughout the trees in the backyard. Where has the year gone? The older I get, each year seems to pass by more quickly than the previous one; in a blur, with only a few new wrinkles and gray hairs to mark its passing.
My husband embraces aging. His “salt and pepper” hair somehow makes him cooler, yet I just look like I desperately need to get my hair done.
So not fair. Oh well, c’est la vie…
Although I dread loosing access to the abundance of summer produce, I welcome the change of seasons with open arms. By this time I’m usually over the summer heat and am desperately awaiting cooler temps so I can bust my chunky sweaters and boots out of storage.
Fall also means comfort food and this hearty skillet meal practically screams cozy. The great thing about polenta is it gets thick and creamy on its own in the oven so no need to stand at the stove stirring the pot vigorously for an hour. The rich tomato sauce adds so much flavor, the deep greens give fiber and extra nutrients, and you even some protein from the poached eggs. It makes a great meal for anytime of day and is perfect topped with some freshly grated parmesan and served with warm, crusty bread. Trust me, this recipe’s a keeper!
Baked Polenta with Tomato Poached Eggs
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Creamy, no-fuss polenta is topped with an easy tomato sauce full of deep greens and perfectly poached eggs. Perfect dish for any meal of the day!
Ingredients
Baked Polenta with Tomato Poached Eggs:
- 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal
- 2 1/2 cups liquid—milk, water, chicken or vegetable broth (I used half unsweetened original almond milk and half water)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1–2 tablespoons regular or dairy-free butter
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, optional (omit if dairy-free or use a dairy-free substitute)
- Tomato Sauce (recipe below)
- 4–6 eggs
- extra virgin olive oil
, for drizzling (optional)
- crusty bread, optional
, for drizzling (optional)Tomato Sauce:
- 1–2 tablespoons cooking oil (I use avocado
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- 1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 large yellow onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14.5 oz can crushed or diced
tomatoes
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or whole (or another 14.5 oz. can of tomatoes)
- 1 bunch swiss chard or kale, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
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tomatoesInstructions
Baked Polenta with Tomato Poached Eggs:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Combine cornmeal and milk/water in a large oven-safe pan or baking dish. Place pan onto the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until polenta has become thick and creamy.
- Remove pan from the oven and stir in butter, parmesan (optional), and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with tomato sauce.
- Make 4-6 indentations in the sauce and crack in egg into each one. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place pan back into the oven and bake until the eggs are cooked to your liking, which will depend on your oven, so keep an eye out after 10 minutes or so. Mine took close to 20 minutes, but I recommend keeping a close watch so you don’t overcook them.
- When eggs are set, remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving. Drizzle with a little olive oil, top with additional parmesan and serve with warm, crusty bread.
Tomato Sauce:
- Drizzle a little cooking oil into a large sauce pan and place onto the stove over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes until slightly translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Pour in canned tomatoes and break up any large chunks with a wooden spoon. Stir in cherry/grape tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid so that the tomatoes cook down some, about 8-10 min.
- Once the tomato sauce has thickened, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the chopped greens and cook just until wilted.
- Recipe was inspired by this one from Two Red Bowls.
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Main dish, breakfast, gluten free
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Kale & Potato Breakfast Hash
seriously no idea where the year went by!! this is such a great way to start your day, yum!
Yes it was. Thank you friend. I hope you are having a lovely day today!
If there’s a fave food of mine that fall has that summer DOESN’T have, it’s pumpkin. I LOVE it with and in everything! I’m so excited for all of the pumpkin recipes!
Yes, me too 🙂 Thanks, Cassie. Have a lovely fall weekend 🙂
This looks soo good! Any tips on making eggs taste less…”metal-ly” from the iron? …or am I just weird and am the only one who thinks that?
Hey, Ashley! Thank you! No, I totally get what you’re saying 😉 I actually cook the tomato sauce in a different saucepan (a ceramic pan) and then top the polenta in the cast-iron for the last bit of baking, for the eggs to cook. It doesn’t really touch the pan so it doesn’t have that metallic taste, but you can definitely use any other oven-safe pan or even a corning ware dish, if you prefer 🙂
I absolutely adore polenta! I’ve never tried baking it before but this looks SO fantastic that I must try it immediately! Beautiful photos, as always, Joscelyn!
Aw thank you Liz! I appreciate your kind words 🙂
I’m so excited that fall is finally here! We don’t have any cool fall weather yet but I would eat your polenta skillet sitting outside in the heat of the day because it looks that delicious!!! It would be worth it! I can’t believe I’ve never tried polenta before, what have I been doing with myself? It looks a little bit like corn grits, does it taste similar?
Me too! I love fall! It started getting a little cooler this week. To answer your question, it does taste a bit like grits. Polenta seems a bit creamier and they’re both made with different types of corn.
I haven’t had polenta in ages. This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you. This was hit with the family. I hope you got a chance to try it out.
Great recipe with beautiful clicks…
Thank you, Puja!
I don’t really cook polenta at home, but love ordering it at restaurants! This would be the perfect opportunity for me to try it at home 🙂
Yes, it’s fairly simple and much less expensive to make it at home! Let me know if you give it a try, Jess!
This looks amazing!! I love eggs as protein for the kiddos since they are not always fond of meats
Thank you, Emily!
I am always looking for a new way to cook eggs, since it is something easy to make to get some protein into kids bellies. Thanks for the idea!
Thank you, Scarlett!
I have never made polenta before, but have had it a few times. This looks like something my kids would love though. They love poached eggs.
Thanks, Heather! I hope you get a chance to try it out!