Tomato-Basil Sauce with Polenta
A rustic Italian-inspired dish featuring crispy polenta rounds topped with a fresh cherry tomato and basil sauce. The tomatoes are roasted with garlic, shallots, and herbs to create a flavorful accompaniment to the golden-brown polenta.
Ingredients
- •5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- •1 log packaged cooked polenta
- •2 pounds cherry tomatoes
- •7 cloves garlic
- •1 whole shallot
- •2 teaspoons kosher salt
- •½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- •8 sprigs basil
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush with 1 Tbsp. oil. Arrange polenta rounds on oiled sheet.
10 min
- 2.
Very coarsely chop (do not purée) half the tomatoes in a food processor. Cut remaining tomatoes in half (quarter if large). Combine tomatoes in a bowl with 4 tablespoons oil and remaining ingredients. Toss to coat.
10 min
- 3.
Stack three 24x12" sheets of parchment paper on another baking sheet. (Don't use foil-the tomato acid will react with aluminum.) Spoon tomato mixture onto one side of stacked parchment. Fold parchment layers over mixture and crimp edges tightly to form a sealed packet.
5 min
- 4.
Place baking sheet with tomato packet on upper rack and sheet with polenta on lower rack. Bake, turning polenta rounds once, until polenta is light golden and tomatoes are saucy (carefully open packet to check; steam will escape), 25-30 minutes. (You can also cook polenta in a grill pan or on a charcoal or gas grill.)
30 min
- 5.
Spoon tomato sauce over polenta.
2 min
