This rustic Italian dish transforms humble cornmeal into a creamy, cheesy base for our savory meatballs. The combination of fontina and parmesan lends a rich, complex flavor that compliments the tang of a pesto-marinara sauce.
Ingredients
6 cups water
2 cups yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated fontina cheese (5oz)
¼ cup grated parmesan
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1lb Armanino Italian Style Beef & Pork Meatballs
28oz marinara sauce, purchased or homemade
2 tablespoons Armanino Basil Pesto
1 tablespoon grated parmesan
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375ºF with a rack in the middle position. Butter a large baking dish and set aside until needed.
For the polenta: in a large saucepan, bring the water and a good pinch of salt to boil.
With the water boiling, slowly add the cornmeal to the pot in a steady stream whisking constantly to avoid any lumps.
Once all the cornmeal is added, reduce the heat to low and at a gentle boil, continue to cook, stirring frequently until tender, about 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be quite thick and the cornmeal will be cooked through and not crunchy.
Turn the heat off and stir in the butter until melted then stir in the parmesan and fontina, along with a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
Turn the polenta into the buttered baking dish, smoothing the top.
For the meatballs: place the oil into a large non-stick skillet and over medium-high, brown the meatballs on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Add the marinara sauce to the pan, stir to coat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover to contain any spatters and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the basil pesto.
Place the sauced meatballs on top of the polenta, reserving any extra sauce for serving later.
Bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes (longer if room temperature or cold at the start).
Before serving, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of basil pesto on top and garnish with a little additional parmesan. Serve hot with the extra marinara (reheated if necessary).
Do-ahead: the casserole can be made and refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for several hours. Let at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Chef’s Tips
While you can certainly buy artisan, stone ground cornmeal, the regular cylinder canister of yellow cornmeal makes delicious polenta. If using a coarser grind of cornmeal, plan on a longer cooking time.
To avoid lumps in your polenta, whisk the boiling water and slowly pour in the cornmeal, whisking the whole time. After all the cornmeal has been added, lower the heat and whisk frequently until the grains are tender, avoiding any spatters as they are extremely hot.
