I could have titled this recipe Goat Cheese Polenta Bowls with Roasted Kabocha Squash and Spinach-Asiago Pesto, but then the beauty of this easy, use-up-whatever-you-have-in-the-fridge meal would be lost. By Sunday there’s always a few leftover roasted vegetables and unloved hunks of cheese lurking in my fridge, and thick, creamy polenta is the perfect vehicle for all the odd-ends that need to be used up.
I spend almost every Sunday getting ready for the week ahead. I go grocery shopping, do laundry, plan out my breakfasts, lunches, and snacks for the upcoming workweek, and try to photograph at least one recipe for the blog. If the weather cooperates, I go out for a hike. If not, I’ll usually bike in the living room for an hour. Kevin and I try to make time to go out and do something special together (last week we ended up wandering around a field of sunflowers), and usually he puts in a request for a batch of granola or some other snack to take to work. After checking all the boxes off my to-do list on Sundays, the last thing I want to do is spend another hour in the kitchen to make dinner. Luckily, we have an unofficial routine around here that makes Sunday night dinners the best.
Enter Sunday night polenta. A few years ago my sister Heather and I started eating polenta bowls for dinner on Sundays if we didn’t have much else in the house. It was an easy go-to, since it’s a meal that doesn’t require much forethought. At this point, polenta is no longer plan B. What was once an easy backup has now become our favorite Sunday night meal. We always have a canister full of cornmeal in the pantry and a few containers in the fridge with leftover roasted veggies from dinners earlier in the week. Heather stirs the polenta, I make the pesto, and in no time we have a big, warm, hearty bowl of comfort food for dinner. If I’m going to be away on a Sunday and getting home late, Heather makes sure there’s a pan of roasted veggies in the oven when I walk in the door. We don’t even need to communicate about it; we know polenta is happening on Sunday, not matter what. 
Sunday Night Polenta goes something like this:
Stir together cornmeal with veggie/chicken broth and cook until thick and creamy. Add in a pat of butter and a handful of whatever cheese you have in the house. I used goat cheese this time, but literally any cheese you like can be stirred in. We’re particularly fond of cheddar, Parmesan, and goat cheese around here.
Re-heat leftover roasted veg (I had leftover Kabocha Squash in the fridge this week), or chop up whatever raw veggies you have and roast them with a little olive oil/ s+p for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. My fall favorites are delicata squash, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and carrots, but anything you have in the fridge can work. Onions, peppers, broccoli, kale…the polenta bowl is your oyster. 
Toss a handful of herbs and/or greens into a blender with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and a handful of nuts or seeds to make pesto. I used this Spinach Walnut Asiago Pesto recipe but swapped in pumpkin seeds for the walnuts.
Spoon your polenta into a bowl and top with veggies, extra cheese, and a drizzle of pesto. 
I think you’re going to love this quick, easy, versatile polenta recipe. While we always make it on Sunday nights, you theoretically could plan ahead to have this any night of the week. To me, the appeal of this meal lies in it’s simplicity. No matter what you have in the fridge, you can make a polenta bowl for dinner. It’s creamy, comforting, warms you up on a cold Sunday night, and can be customized to appeal to everyone in your house. 
Tell me: what’s your go-to meal on Sunday nights? Do you plan ahead for a big, fancy Sunday night meal, or find yourself staring into the fridge at 6:00 wondering what the heck you should make?
Sunday Night Polenta
Ingredients
Polenta
- 1 cup dry polenta or medium-grind cornmeal
- 2 cups chicken/vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons goat cheese or other cheese of choice
- a handful of fresh herbs optional-I used chives and parsley
Topping
- 2 cups of leftover roasted vegetables of choice*
- 1/4 cup goat cheese or other cheese of choice
- homemade pesto I used my Spinach Walnut Asiago Pesto, recipe linked above
Instructions
- 1. Add dry polenta/cornmeal, broth, salt, and pepper to a medium saucepan, and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, and whisk continuously. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and butter, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 2. While polenta cooks, make pesto and warm leftover vegetables (or roast them, if necessary).
- 3. Stir herbs into the pot of cooked polenta, and divide the polenta evenly between two large bowls. Top with warmed veggies, cheese, and a drizzle of pesto. Eat immediately.