• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Beauty and the Bench Press logo

Shop My Faves Get In Touch Subscribe
  • All Recipes
  • By Course
    • Breakfast
    • Casseroles and Bakes
    • Meal Prep Faves
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Soups
    • Sweet Treats
    • Vegetables
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Fitness
      • Running While Overweight: 8 Things I Did To Get Started
      • Peloton Bike Review: Why I’m Now Obsessed With Cycling
      • Peloton Bike+ Review: How Does the Bike+ Differ from the Peloton Bike?
      • Workout History & Current Routine
    • Travel
    • Shopping Guides & Reviews
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Subscribe
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Beauty
  • Shop
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • Shopping Guides & Reviews
  • Social Media Links
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Subscribe
    • Recipes
    • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Shop
    • Fitness
    • Travel
    • Shopping Guides & Reviews
    • Social Media Links
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Recipes

    Spicy Taco Polenta Bake (Gluten Free, Meal Prep)

    Published: Jul 8, 2017 · Last Updated: Dec 22, 2022 by Jen Lopez

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    I love making polenta bakes.  I also love spicy tacos.  So spicy taco polenta bake? I'm all in! Polenta bakes are so versatile. I make so many versions of this it's ridiculous. Taco, enchilada, nacho, BBQ, buffalo chicken, spinach and goat cheese, chorizo, carnitas- you name it, I've made it.  The process is essentially the same in each recipe, only the ingredients change. Which is probably why I make them so much.  I run on auto pilot when I make these now. It's what I go to for meal prep when I'm short on time and energy. This recipe is gluten free and you can also make it dairy free to meet your dietary needs by just skipping the cheese.

    What is Polenta?

    I really had no idea what polenta was until a few years ago when a friend of mine (Hey Jill!) told me about how she made a carnitas polenta dish and I was like, "What is this polenta you speak of?"  So I investigated and long story short, a love of polenta was born.  It's basically just corn meal. That's it. But the taste is pretty neutral so it works perfectly as a base for so many dishes.

    One thing to note is that the polenta I use comes in a plastic wrapped tube. I get it from Trader Joe's. I crumble it up with my hands and then press it into the bottom of a 9x9 casserole dish to get the base of the casserole. You should end up with something like this.

    polenta pushed in the bottom of a casserole dish

    How To Prepare Taco Polenta Bake

    Once you have the base as shown above, it is ready for the oven. I bake it for 15 minutes first so the polenta slightly comes together. After 15 minutes of baking, you can start to layer your other ingredients.  Once you have everything your little heart desires on top of your polenta crust, it's ready for the final bake.

    taco polenta bake layers

    Ingredients

    For this taco version of the polenta bake, you need ground beef, taco seasoning, black beans, diced green chilis and shredded cheese. Feel free to be creative here and use your favorite type of cheese. I love using mozzarella. You can make this spicy taco polenta bake with ground beef,  ground turkey or shredded chicken-all delicious! Sometimes I switch things up and use pinto beans instead of black beans or add corn.  It's really customizable to whatever sounds good to you.

    piece of taco polenta bake with melted cheese

    Other Taco Inspired Recipes You May Like

    Southwest Breakfast Bake

    Whole30 Taco Casserole

    Spicy Taco Skillet

    Meal Prep Taco Breakfast Scramble

    gluten free taco polenta bake
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    taco polenta casserole

    Spicy Taco Polenta Bake

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 6 reviews
    • Author: Jen Lopez
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
    • Category: Main Dishes, Casserole
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Mexican
    • Diet: Gluten Free
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Need some meal prep inspiration? This spicy taco polenta bake is filling, healthy, delicious and super easy to make! Made with ground beef, black beans, polenta and mozzarella, this recipe is full of flavor! This dish is sure to become a family fave for meal prep!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 pkg polenta (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
    • 1 lb ground beef (I use 96/4 or 90/10)
    • 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
    • 1 4 oz can of diced green chiles
    • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    • ½ cup diced white onion
    • ¼ cup sliced back olives
    • 3 tbs taco seasoning (I like Primal Palate)
    • ½ TBS avocado oil
    • Toppings: green onion, cilantro, avocado

    Instructions

    1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
    2. Remove polenta from packaging and crumble with your hands and add salt and pepper to taste. Push down into a 9x9 casserole dish greased with cooking spray to form the base. Bake for 15 minutes.
    3. While polenta is baking, begin preparing the ground beef. Add oil to a heated skillet along with onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes
    4. Add ground beef, diced chiles and seasonings to skillet, breaking into crumbles until cooked through
    5. When ready, remove polenta from the oven and layer with ground beef, black beans, cheese, olives and green onion
    6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
    7. Top with green onions and cilantro and serve!


    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: ¼ of recipe
    • Calories: 442
    • Fat: 16
    • Carbohydrates: 28.5
    • Fiber: 7.8
    • Protein: 41.8

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @beautyandthebenchpress on Instagram and hashtag it #beautyandthebenchpress

    Share to Facebook!
    Need some meal prep inspiration? This spicy taco polenta bake is filling, healthy, delicious and super easy to make! Sure to become a family fave! #mealprep

    More from my site

    • Meal Prep Breakfast Muffins: Quick & Easy BreakfastMeal Prep Breakfast Muffins: Quick & Easy Breakfast
    • Chorizo Hash Brown Bake (Paleo & Whole30)Chorizo Hash Brown Bake (Paleo & Whole30)
    • Greek Pasta Salad (Healthy, Gluten-Free, 20 Minutes)Greek Pasta Salad (Healthy, Gluten-Free, 20 Minutes)
    • Instant Pot Shredded Beef (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)Instant Pot Shredded Beef (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
    • Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Low Carb & Healthy!Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Low Carb & Healthy!
    • Quick & Easy Sheet Pan Breakfast: (Paleo, Whole30)Quick & Easy Sheet Pan Breakfast: (Paleo, Whole30)
    « Top 10 Favorite Makeup Products
    Chicken Kale Stir Fry (Healthy & Low Carb) »

    Join the Club!

    Get fun updates and a free meal plan for a week of delicious Whole30 compliant recipes!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susie says

      August 22, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Love you Jen! You are awesome!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        August 22, 2017 at 6:54 pm

        Thank you Susie!!! Love you tooo 🙂

        Reply
    2. blaireck says

      August 29, 2018 at 4:26 pm

      What an amazing idea! I love love love this!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        August 31, 2018 at 6:03 pm

        it's definitely one of my favorite meals!

        Reply
    3. Naomi Goodnight says

      September 11, 2018 at 9:13 am

      Would this work prepped ahead of time? And pulled out of the fridge for the final bake?

      Reply
      • Jen says

        September 23, 2018 at 9:26 pm

        Hmmmm well I bake the polenta alone first for 15 minutes and then add the toppings and do the final bake. I'm not quite sure how it would be if you skipped that part but I definitely think it can wait for a final bake in the fridge after than initial bake is done!

        Reply
    4. Carly White says

      October 07, 2018 at 7:02 pm

      Sounds delicious and will try it BUT i'm really interested in how you make the spinach and goat cheese version?

      Reply
    5. Judy says

      August 09, 2020 at 4:27 pm

      Love this recipe. Easy to make and super tasty. I’ll be making this again for sure.

      Reply
      • Jen says

        August 10, 2020 at 12:06 pm

        I am so happy you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    6. Jolene says

      March 09, 2021 at 6:13 pm

      My family absolutely loved this recipe!

      Reply
    7. Megan says

      July 26, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      Has anyone tried to do this with a bag of polenta instead of the tube?? Of course my store was out.

      Reply
      • Erika says

        January 07, 2023 at 8:45 am

        Hi Megan,

        I've made it with the boxed/bagged dried polenta. I prepared the polenta on the stovetop according to the package directions, then put it in the dish and baked it according to the recipe here. Came out great! Love this recipe!

        Reply
        • Jen Lopez says

          January 07, 2023 at 5:31 pm

          thats awesome! good to know if works with that type of polenta too!

          Reply
    8. Stephanie says

      August 07, 2022 at 7:35 pm

      I'm adding this to the menu planning for the week.

      Reply
    9. Jackie says

      November 30, 2022 at 7:21 am

      This had good flavor (we used our favorite hot sauce) but chefs beware the recipe. Ingredients not listed in order of use. 2nd step should be grease the dish & 5th step should include green chilis, not onions. Step 7 should include avocados if you planned to use them. It was a bit of a fumble making this as I read, but will rewrite and use again.

      Reply
      • Jen Lopez says

        December 22, 2022 at 11:03 am

        Hi Jackie, Thanks for the catch on the chiles. The onions still go in where I said they did. I made sure t add the chiles to the step where the seasoning was added.

        Reply
    10. Christina Goodpaster says

      March 26, 2023 at 10:52 am

      Does this refrigerate well? For meal prep for the week?

      Reply
      • Jen Lopez says

        March 28, 2023 at 9:10 am

        Yes! I make it for meal prep all the time!

        Reply
    11. Robin Parker says

      April 20, 2023 at 10:24 am

      SO good! We are vegan so I used taco tofu for a meat substitute and also replaced black beans with Amy’s smashed black beans. It was SO good! Thank you for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Jen Lopez says

        May 01, 2023 at 7:42 pm

        so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    12. Grey Ghost says

      August 03, 2023 at 5:33 pm

      This looks delicious! Did I miss any other posts with a version with carnitas?

      Reply
    13. Christine Arendas says

      August 25, 2023 at 11:57 am

      Great recipe! I added diced heirloom tomatoes on top of the beans, just seemed to need something.
      Anyway, the tomatoes were a great addition due to the avocado. I made my own polenta and baked it as suggested by another reviewer and it was perfect with grated Parmesan cheese added to the polenta for even more flavor. Next time I will try cheddar and/or pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    14. sharon George says

      May 01, 2024 at 9:05 pm

      Very happy to find your recipe. Years ago I read similar recipe in The Riverside Press Enterprise by a Chef who made this with cornmeal and many of the same ingredients you included. I made it and loved it but eventually lost it after several moves. It will be fun to make with polenta, which I also love. So glad you shared. Will rate it after I make it, and seriously expect five stars.

      Reply
    15. Marie says

      October 02, 2024 at 4:16 pm

      This was so easy to make and so delicious. I made completely as directed. No substitutions. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much.

      Reply
    16. Tracy says

      December 04, 2024 at 11:14 am

      Wow - 1/4 of the whole 9x9 casserole dish is 442 calories? Am I reading that right?

      Reply
      • Jen Lopez says

        December 05, 2024 at 5:31 pm

        Yup! It is a very large piece with all the layers but you can cut it into 6 pieces if you're looking for something smaller.

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. How To Meal Prep Like A Champ: My Weekly Meal Prep Routine says:
      March 29, 2020 at 12:01 pm

      […] pasta. This basic formula helps me to quickly and easily decide what to make for the week.  Polenta bakes, burrito bowls and easy skillets (like chicken bacon ranch or taco skillet) are staples that I […]

      Reply
    2. Beginner Guide to Meal Prep - by Jen Lopez - Fit by Winter says:
      July 9, 2020 at 5:14 pm

      […] pasta. This basic formula helps me to quickly and easily decide what to make for the week.  Polenta bakes, burrito bowls and easy skillets (like chicken bacon ranch or taco […]

      Reply
    3. California Burrito Bowl: Paleo & Whole30 - Beauty and the Bench Press says:
      July 15, 2020 at 9:11 am

      […] Spicy Polenta Bake […]

      Reply
    4. Pizza Quinoa Casserole (easy meal prep, gluten free) says:
      June 10, 2021 at 9:42 am

      […] Spicy Taco Polenta Bake […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Jen! a fitness loving, makeup obsessed California girl. I'm here to share a little about what I love, which includes all things health & wellness, beauty and life in general. Read more about me here!

    More about me →

    Seasonal Recipes

    • instant pot zuppa toscana
      Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Paleo, Whole30, Easy)
    • Dairy-Free Baked Potato Soup (Whole30)
    • pesto chicken and rice
      Pesto Chicken and Rice Skillet (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Meal)
    • whole30 compliant chicken tortilla soup
      Paleo Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

    Subscribe to the mailing list

    DISCLAIMER/Privacy Policy

    Subscribe below for updates plus get access to your free meal plan for a week of delicious Whole30 compliant recipes!

    Hey Hey Hey!!

    Hola Amigos

    I'm Jen: a fitness loving, makeup obsessed California girl. I'm here to share a little about what I love, which includes all things health & wellness, beauty and life in general. Read more about me here!

    Read more about me here!

    DISCLAIMER/Privacy Policy

    Footer

    About Me

    • Blog
    • Lifestyle
    • About Beauty and the Bench Press

    Copyright© 2025 Beauty & the bench press

     

    Loading Comments...