Oven Baked Cheddar Bacon Polenta (Gluten Free)

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This recipe for Oven Baked Cheddar Bacon Polenta is a delicious gluten-free recipe that’s perfect for breakfast or brunch (and who am I kidding? I’ve now also made this for dinner twice!)

Often, polenta recipes keep you over a stove top stirring, and stirring, and stirring…. And even using a double broiler.

We’re not doing any of that.

This is an oven baked polenta leaving you with oven baked polenta squares, and only stirring twice! The oven does most of the work for you.

Jump to the recipe or keep reading for the full post with step-by-step directions, pictures, brand recommendations, and troubleshooting tips! (honestly, for this recipe, the more detailed step by step is important to glance over.)

The gluten-free guide below is based on personal experience and research.  Always be sure to discuss any medical changes with your doctor for your personal medical needs. Additionally, this post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My full disclosure isn’t that interesting, but you can find it here. 

Is polenta gluten-free?

Polenta is made of corn and is naturally gluten-free.  That said, many brands come into cross contact with gluten during processing, so it’s still necessary to read the label.

For this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Corn Grits.  It worked perfectly and is batch tested and verified to be gluten-free.

See these Corn Grits on Amazon here.

Equipment for Oven Baked Polenta

To make the polenta, you will need quite a few pieces of equipment.

• A skillet to cook the bacon
• A large mixing bowl.
• A kettle to boil water (trust me. This is likely the safest way to do it!)
• A 13×9” casserole dish
• A whisk
• A spatula

Ingredients for Gluten Free Cheddar Bacon Polenta

To make this easy polenta, you can probably find most of the ingredients at your local grocery store.  However, it may be difficult to find gluten-free medium grind polenta (or corn grits).   I got this gluten-free polenta.

However, you may find that as well as good bacon and gluten-free spices at Thrive Market.   

How do you make this baked polenta with cheddar cheese and bacon?

First, you will want to preheat and prepare your oven and gather your equipment & ingredients.

Due to having to stir your polenta while it cooks (and it being in a casserole dish), I found it easier to have only ONE rack in my oven in the lower-middle.  This gave me space to reach into a hot oven to add water and stir when it’s time without having to maneuver around the rack or pull the polenta in and out of the oven risking spilling the hot contents.

Once your oven is prepared and preheating, you’ll want to boil your water in the kettle and dice the bacon and shred the cheese (if not using pre-shredded).

Step 1: Cook your bacon

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy.  Put on a paper towel lined plate to drain off some of the fat. 

Step 2: Mix your polenta

While bacon is cooking, beat the eggs in a large bowl, and whisk in the milk and grits until well combined. (The grits won’t be absorbing the liquid at this point, just try to mix as well as possible)

Once whisked well, fold in the bacon, half of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste and then pour into your casserole dish.

How much is “to taste” this will depend on factors like your own preference and how salty your bacon is.  I would start with maybe ½ a tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of ground black pepper.

Step 3: Add your boiling water

BE VERY CAREFUL ON THIS STEP!

I found the easiest way to do this was to boil your water on the stovetop in a kettle for easy pouring.

Then I placed my casserole dish with polenta mixture into the preheated oven.  I slowly poured the boiling water into the casserole dish and whisked to combine while the polenta was on the middle oven rack!

This way, it’s not necessary to maneuver a very hot and sloshy casserole dish into the oven and risk it sloshing in your hands (or spilling out into the oven).  This casserole dish will be VERY full.

At 20 minutes, open the oven and whisk your polenta.  Whisk it well to ensure even baking.

How to serve baked polenta

Polenta can be served as a side dish, but due to the bacon this makes a really great main course! 

For breakfast it can be eaten as is, or paired with fresh fruit.  You can even serve a sunny side up egg on top! That would be really delicious.

For brunch or dinner, pair this cheesy polenta with a side salad or steamed veggies.

Why is my polenta not setting?

You may have used too much liquid OR your oven isn’t hot enough, continue cooking for longer to evaporate it off, and possibly stirring an additional time or two.

Can you freeze polenta?

Yes!  As you can see in the photos, I made two pans (each one slightly different… the one with more bacon was definitely tastier!  I froze the squares by letting them cool completely, wrapping them in freezer paper, and then putting into a freezer bag.  To reheat I found it better to thaw them, and then heat them in the oven rather than heating in the microwave.  It retained the texture better.

However, if you made a batch in a freezer safe pan, it would probably be better to freeze the whole pan and then reheat in the oven until heated through.

Can you make polenta the day before you serve it?

If you want to make this ahead, I would combine all the ingredients except the boiling water and refrigerate them.  When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven, boil the water, and finish the recipe!

What did you think of this oven baked polenta recipe?

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