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This Italian style cheesy polenta skillet recipe is sure to be a hit at the dinner table! Made with tubed polenta, crushed tomatoes, spinach, ground turkey and mozzarella, it’s a gluten-free one pan meal that is comforting, filling and full of vegetables, protein and flavor!
Ingredients
I am a huge fan of polenta ever since I started making my polenta taco bake. It just has such a nice basic flavor that takes on the flavor profile of whatever it’s paired with making it a great blank canvas.
How To Prepare this Cheesy Polenta Skillet
STEP 1: First, we start with getting the polenta nice and toasty. Slice the polenta into 8 or 9 rounds. Heat some olive oil in a cast iron pan and when hot, place the polenta in the skillet. Heat for about 4-5 minutes each side until the polenta begins to brown and crisp up on the edges.
STEP 2: Remove the polenta from the skillet and place on a paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Add additional olive oil in the cast iron and add in the onions and garlic, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 3: Next you will add in your ground turkey and Italian seasoning. Break into crumbles and cook until cooked through and non longer pink.
STEP 4: Add in the crushed tomatoes and spinach to the turkey mixture and then simmer so all the flavors can blend well together.
STEP 5: Create little wells in the sauce and add your polenta rounds back in to the bottom of the skillet one by one and cover with the meat sauce.
STEP 6: Top each round with a cheese slice, add black olives and then place in the oven and broil on high until cheese begins to bubble. Garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh basil and parmesan cheese and serve.
Variations and Modifications
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can use any oven proof skillet for this. If you do not have an oven safe pan, you can skip the broil and have melty cheese without the crisp tops or you can transfer to a casserole dish at the end and broil that way.
Yes! I don’t know what it is about dishes involving tubed polenta but they are even tastier the next day as leftovers. This makes them an excellent choice for a meal prep recipe!
Sure! Just skip the cheese and the broiling step at the end and you will have a zesty meat sauce over your polenta and it will still be delicious.
Other Skillet Meals You’ll Love
Cheesy Polenta Skillet (gluten-free, one-pan meal)
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This cheesy turkey polenta skillet is sure to be a hit at the dinner table! Made with tubed polenta, crushed tomatoes, spinach, ground turkey and mozzarella, it’s a cheesy skillet meal that is comforting, filling and full of veggies protein and favor!
Ingredients
- 1 18 ounce package tubed polenta
- 1 pound 93/7 ground turkey
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8–9 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 1 cup chopped white onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- garnish – fresh basil, red pepper flakes, parmesan
Instructions
- Remove polenta from package and slice into 8 or 9 rounds. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet and when hot, place the polenta in the skillet. Heat for about 4-5 minutes each side until the polenta begins to crisp up on the edges.
- Remove polenta from the skillet and place on a paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil in the cast iron and add in the onions and garlic, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
- Next you will add in ground turkey and Italian seasoning. Break into crumbles (I like using a chop n stir) and cook until cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes and spinach to the turkey mixture. Reduce heat once it begins to boil and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes so flavors can blend.
- Create little wells in the sauce to add your polenta rounds back in to the bottom of the skillet one by one and cover with the meat sauce.
- Top each round with a cheese slice, add olives and then place in the broiler on high for about 2 minutes until cheese begins to bubble.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh basil and parmesan cheese and serve
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 351
- Fat: 9.9
- Carbohydrates: 29.5
- Fiber: 4.2
- Protein: 34.6
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