White Cheddar & Poblano Polenta

This White Cheddar & Poblano Polenta is a versatile and easy meal that can be topped with anything you’d put into tacos or on nachos! I love topping it with crunchy tortilla chips, pickled red onions, and a fried egg for a filling meal.

In a hurry? Click here to JUMP TO RECIPE!

When I was in high school, I’d go to my boyfriend’s house after school and he’d play video games on his computer while I obsessively watched the Food Network. I remember a lot of Rachel Ray, Alton Brown, Ina Garten, and Sandra Lee (not my favorite of the bunch but always seemed to be on in the afternoon) from those days. I didn’t even cook back then (other than the occasional batch of cookies in my mom’s kitchen) but still was drawn to food even back then.

I recently read Rachel Ray’s 50 cookbook a few weeks ago (and then my dog torn it up so I’m now the proud owner of the library’s copy!) and it really sparked my interest in her again – there is something about the mix of nostalgia and imperfection of those Food Network stars during that time period that really resonates with me. I’ve been revisiting old Rachel Ray 30 minute meals episodes lately and I find it so charming that it’s not all about how she looks and making everything perfect like our social media driven world has turned cooking into.

In one of the episodes, she made a cheesy poblano mac and cheese recipe that looked so delicious that I knew I wanted to play with that flavor combo. Instead of using pasta, I decided to make a similar sauce and blends it into polenta for a creamy bowl of pure cheesy comfort. What I love the most about this White Cheddar & Poblano Polenta recipe even is how it can be topped with almost anything you’d put on nachos – tortilla chips, pickled red onions, cilantro, jalapenos, fried eggs, sour cream, etc etc.

5 from 1 vote

Print

White Cheddar & Poblano Polenta

This White Cheddar & Poblano Polenta is a versatile and easy meal that can be topped with anything you’d put into tacos or on nachos! I love topping it with crunchy tortilla chips, pickled red onions, and a fried egg for a filling meal.

Course: Main

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 poblano pepper cut into large pieces
• 1/2 small red onion quartered
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
• 1 cup polenta
• 3 cup water
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a high speed blender, blend together the poblano pepper, red onion, garlic clove, vegetable broth, and garlic clove and blend until completely combined.

2. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the polenta, lower heat to low, and let simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the polenta is creamy and the liquid is absorbed.

3. Pour in the poblano mixture and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the polenta has thickened, stirring often.

4. Remove from heat, stir in the cheese, and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, as needed. Feel free to serve with fried eggs, black beans, cilantro, sour cream, tortilla chips, or anything else you might top on tacos and/or nachos!