Easy Side Dish -- Grilled Polenta Parmigiana

I've never entered a challenge before but this seemed to be just the right time for me to jump in. This weekend I made grilled polenta parmigiana and it is very easy, fast, and delicious -- and it's also a great vegetarian side dish.

So I'm entering my Grilled Polenta Parmigiana recipe to Reeni's
Side Dish Showdown Anything Goes.

Everyone is looking for easy side dish recipes to go with grilled foods. I know in our family when we grill we try to cook everything on the grill. It's more fun to cook out -- it takes me back to those days when our dad took us all to the park that had a picnic area and we spent the day outdoors, grilling and playing.

During the winter I do make polenta from scratch when I have more time but this time of the year I like to make it easy and fast. I used the prepared polenta in the vacuum sealed round variety which can be found in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets.


I like grilled polenta which I sometimes make as appetizers. This week I made them parmigiana style to go with our grilled chicken breasts and grilled shrimp. These polenta parmigiana rounds were a perfect match. It took the place of a heavier chicken parmigiana and shrimp parmigiana dinner.

Grilled Polenta Parmigiana

• 1 prepared polenta roll
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 8 oz. mozzarella
• 2 TBLS. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh chopped basil or parsley

Directions:

• 1. Slice polenta into rounds about 1/4 inch thick and lay out on a foil pan.

• 2. Drizzle rounds with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

• 3. Place each round out on the hot grill and cook about 3-5 minutes (depends on the heat of the grill) on each side. The polenta is already cooked, so you just want to heat through and get nice grill marks.

• 4. Take rounds off grill and place on the foil pan. Add 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce on each and a slice of mozzarella on top.


• 5. Place foil pan on top rack of grill to melt the mozzarella cheese.
  When the cheese is melted remove pan from grill, add chopped parsley or fresh basil then plate and serve.
  

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks