Baked Polenta-Beef Casserole

This is an easy casserole kind of dish that I came up with. Wanted something hearty and low maintenance. I make the polenta myself so no need to run to the store for a tube of it. Almost all of the ingredients are found in my cabinet. Hope you like this as well as my family does. I have made this so many different ways so try the original then play with it. I know I have and comes out great most times.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 497 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ cup shredded American cheese
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 2 cups chopped cooked beef
• 1 (12 ounce) can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Stir together water, cornmeal, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until combined. Cook, uncovered, stirring every minute until water begins to boil and mixture is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in American cheese and set aside.

Step 3

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Add cooked beef, corn, tomatoes and their juices, and oregano. Cook, uncovered, stirring every minute until mixture is bubbly and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour into a casserole dish. Spoon polenta-cheese mixture on top.

Step 4

Cook in the preheated oven until polenta is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes before serving.