Cheesy Baked Butternut Squash Polenta

Ok, was looking for a cornmeal and squash dish for Thanksgiving after reading that cooked cornmeal was a staple food of the Wamponoag people- the ones who actually saved the "Pilgrims" from dying in 1620-21. So this was it-- I followed the liquid reduction suggested in comments (3.5 cups veg stock to 1 cup polenta, with only a little splash of milk) and it was great. Yum to those chunks of fontina (not Wamponoag appropriate, but delicious!) Big hit.

• KV

• Los Angeles

• 11/26/2021

This is a delicious dish. I made it as written, 2 Thanksgivings ago, and it was loved by all. Made much more than 3 Quarts, however. Had to put the extra in another 2 quart casserole. It was super thick and cheesey. I don't know why some others found this to be soupy. I had to search for Course Cornmeal, but maybe that's why I had the perfect consistency. A great recipe for the Fall and Winter months, and would be quite filling serving as a main course as well.

• Blips

• NC

• 11/12/2021

很明显,这不是脆,公司可能带来的-fried polenta. This is grits style, serve-in-a-bowl polenta. Based on other reviews, I even increased my polenta to liquid ratio. Just know that going in.

• anjalili

• Los Angeles,CA

• 4/1/2021

This was one of the most disappointing recipes I've ever made from Epicurious, and I've made a lot. I made it EXACTLY as the recipe states... no substitutions, no Instapot (wtf!?!?) sage from my garden, and I left it 24 hours in the fridge before baking. What did I get? Cheesy cornmeal soup. My toddler wouldn't even eat it.

• chris_in_sf

• Bay Area

• 1/26/2021

我从来没有写过评论配方,直到没有w. That's how strongly I feel about this polenta. This is my new favorite. But...I did make some changes after reading the other reviews (but not many!) so bear with me. First - I made it in the instant pot. Yup. It's so fast, why not!? Reduce water to 3.5 cups, salt to 2 tsp, and add the polenta and squash. High Pressure for 10 min, natural release. Mash contents. SKIP the milk. Add the butter and parmesan. Don't skip the sage - it is sooo good. I will make this again before the week is done. YUM! Perfect consistency and even picky children liked it. Everyone wanted seconds.

• Anonymous

• Minneapolis, MN

• 12/1/2020

I'm not sure how that much squash and cheese can be so tasteless, but the texture was like glop, too. A hard 'no' on this one in my family.

• adri_grace

• Anaheim, CA

• 11/22/2020

Wow, this was a big hit at a Christmas dinner. Left out the sage which left room for more gooey brown cheese. Maybe a touch too salty but loved it. Also since many noted it was too runny, I used extra polenta and less water. I made a half recipe but used 3/4c polenta and 4c water.

• holcomb44

• Louisville KY

• 12/29/2019

UPDATE to my earlier review. I made chowder from the leftovers. I heated up the leftover casserole, mixed in some turkey broth in about equal parts, and added some frozen corn kernels. It was very good!

• ann.birner703

• Portsmouth NH

• 12/4/2019

I love squash and polenta and sage so this was a natural....I loved the taste, but as another reviewer stated it was just a little too runny for me. I roasted the squash ahead and mixed with the partially cooked polenta. I really like sage, so I chopped some and added into the mixture with a pressed garlic clove. The flavor was divine, but consistency (even after cooking double the time) was just this side of soupy. Next time I will use 2 cups of polenta to one squash. That should firm it up some. But, for sure there will be a next time.

• vcrawford@cvsnider.com

• Michigan

• 12/2/2019

Very tasty, we all loved the flavors BUT: It took forever to get the squash to be soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon and "melt" into the polenta. I spent almost 2 hours on prep, thankfully started the the night before. I cut and cooked the squash as directed. Next time (if I bother, which is doubtful) I'd cut it even smaller or maybe precook it a bit. The final result was more than gooey, it was downright soupy. Ran all over the place and would have worked better in a bowl. I'm surprised no one else commented on this, making me wonder if I erred somehow, although to my knowledge I followed the recipe pretty exactly and have a reliable oven

• ann.birner703

• Portsmouth, NH

• 12/2/2019

I´m in the midst of making this for the second time. The first time I adapted it to flavors of Manabí, the province in Ecuador famous for superb gastronomy. My question this time, since I want to use the crisped sage this time: will it really stay crisp if it sits on the casserole for days at a time? Wouldn´t it be better to place it on top right before the final baking?

• Michelleofried1

• Quito, Ecuador

• 11/27/2019

Really tasty. Gooey, cheesy goodness. For my taste, a little on the sweet side - but a few dashes of Tabasco gave it acidity and heat to balance the sweet.

• HardyGourmand

• Hamburg, Germany

• 11/27/2019

Delicious!!!!

• helendaniel

• 11/27/2019

Would smoked gouda work instead of Fontina cheese?

• zellawise

• Cville, Va

• 11/13/2019

Delicious! I didn't do the the sage, added pine nuts at the end.

• kal2u62

• Walnut Creek, CA

• 11/11/2019