I have been without my kiddos since Tuesday, and with so many different things I can do with the time alone, I chose to clean out my inbox. My email can get a bit insane. As of yesterday I had over 400 unread emails. When an email comes in, I determine if it looks promising and either delete or save. So the unread emails all contain information that I deem as possibly useful. A possible partnership for the blog, if you will. On top of that, I had over 3700 emails in my inbox. Is that really necessary? I kind of feel like a hoarder of emails. So, I decided to do some serious purging. There are old receipts from years ago, trouble tickets, press releases, etc.
Among the many emails, I spotted this recipe that my mom sent over a year and a half ago, for Mexican Polenta Pie. She’s great about trying to help with the blog when she can. If she ever tries a new recipe she will often photograph it and send it on over. Some say that polenta is an acquired taste, but I actually really like it. I kind of think of this dish as a Shepherd’s Pie with a Mexican twist. Mmm!
So are you a polenta fan?
Mexican Polenta Pie
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Turkey or Ground Beef
- 1/2 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or through garlic press
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can black beans drained (or pinto beans)
- 1 cup salsa - your favorite kind
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 24 oz tube of ready to eat Polenta
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup water more or less
- 1/2 of a diced red pepper
- 1 14 oz can corn
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup or more shredded cheese
Instructions
- Brown ground meat in skillet or Dutch Oven with onion and garlic, until all the pink is gone. Add taco seasoning and blend in well.
- Stir in tomatoes, beans and salsa and mix until heated through. If you used a skillet, transfer meat mixture to a casserole dish and set aside. If you used a Dutch oven, set aside.
- In a skillet (you can use the same skillet as meat mixture, just wipe it out with a paper towel), crumble the polenta and add chicken broth. Stir over medium heat until polenta begins to soften and look like mush. Add water gradually, until the consistency is that of mush - not too runny.
- Stir in the corn and diced red pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the polenta carefully over the meat mixture - either in the Dutch oven or the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350° for 20-30 min. Make sure to not cook too long, so polenta won't dry out.
- Garnish with slice avocado, if desired.
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