How to make vegetarian chili polenta pie

Audrey Michels

Contributing Writer

As an adult with all kinds of responsibilities, it can be a challenge to set aside time to meal prep or to whip something up fresh every single night. Unless you're an organization wizard, odds are you sometimes find yourself home at the end of a long day, hungry and exhausted. It’s so easy to forget that everything necessary to make a delicious, hearty meal lies in the pantry we so often gaze at, thinking "I have nothing to eat."

This dish, for instance, makes use of polenta you bought for a recipe once and never used again. It also gives the spice rack a workout and uses up all of those beans that seem to collect with the best of intentions whenever they go on sale. The result looks like it took days of planning to execute, but in fact takes just over an hour, and it tastes like a satisfying day of completing adult responsibilities, such as filing your taxes and eating your vegetables.

Cooktop Cove

vegetarian chili polenta pie

20 minutes`

1 hour

1 hour 20 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can sweet corn, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

1 cup polenta

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, and place over a medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about three minutes.

Add the diced peppers, and continue to cook until softened, about five to seven minutes.

Put in the spices and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, an additional minute.

Add the beans, corn, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and 2 cups of broth, and stir well.

Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the bean mixture to a 4-quart pie dish or casserole and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-large saucepan, bring the remaining 3 cups of stock to a boil, and add the polenta and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Stir well and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer five to seven minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

After the 15 minutes, remove the bean mixture from the oven and stir gently. Evenly cover the mixture with the cooked polenta, and return it to the oven.

Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the polenta is firm and golden brown on top.

Allow to cool at least five minutes before serving.

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