Bacon Jalapeno Polenta Casserole

Whenever I make something new, I like to hear my husband’s honest opinion of it. I wait until he takes that first bite. If he says “This is really good”, right off the bat then I know I have a keeper. This Bacon Jalapeno Polenta Casserole just happens to be one of those recipes. But, I mean, come on. It’s got bacon, jalapenos, monterey jack cheese and polenta. How can you not like something like that? This is, without a doubt, pure comfort food on a plate.

This makes a great weekend family breakfast, but would also be great to serve your guests at a brunch. It serves anywhere between 6-8 people, depending on the size of slices. Fry up one or two eggs per person with it, and you have a super hearty breakfast.

Refrigerated leftovers can be sliced into squares and fried in a pan the next day. The outside gets golden brown, crispy and delicious. It’s just the two of us, so we had two days worth of leftovers, and that’s exactly what I did with ours. Man, either way, it is SO good!

*If you happen to have a Natural Grocers in your area, their store brand of organic polenta is good and really inexpensive. It’s what I buy and use in my own kitchen.

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Bacon Jalapeno Polenta Casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Tempie Hughes

Ingredients

• 1 cup polenta (preferably organic)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp sea salt , plus black pepper to taste
• 4 slices turkey bacon
• 1/2 medium red onion , finely chopped
• 1-2 fresh jalapenos , finely chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt , plus black pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese , divided
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• To garnish: finely chopped scallions (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 11x7 inch baking dish with butter.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add salt, and slowly whisk in the polenta. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring often for 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the heavy cream and let cook, stirring constantly, until grits are tender and thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, 3/4 cup of the cheese, and pepper.
4. While the polenta cooks: Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from the pan and place onto paper towel lined plate, let cool then crumble. Add the onion and jalapenos to the skillet and let cook until the vegetables have begun to soften, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the jalapeno mixture to the polenta. Slowly stir in the lightly beaten eggs, then pour into the baking dish. Smooth the mixture out with a spatula, top with the remaining cheese and place into oven. Bake uncovered until the the polenta has set, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

By Tempie at June 15, 2017.