Upgrade Polenta With An Easy Grilled Cheese Twist

Thanks to the toasty carbohydrate combining with the salty cheese, and the crisp contrasting with the gooey, a grilled cheese sandwich is practically perfection. Part of the beauty of this sandwich, though, is the ability to put a personal spin on it, customizing based on mood, craving, available ingredient, or occasion. One of the most common ways to play with your grilled cheese is to swap out the bread, from sliced white to sourdough or seeded rye — or even an English muffin grilled cheese. But it turns out, you may be sleeping on slices that aren't actually bread at all.

Polenta, the cornmeal-based Italian dish, is a culinary chameleon. It can be creamy and porridge-like, served at breakfast with eggs, or a sweet version with vanilla and brown sugar. But you can also find firmer polenta that can be cubed or even converted into fries. It can also be sliced — and when turned into the basis for a grilled sandwich, your polenta gets a major upgrade. Subtle corn sweetness combined with savory, melting cheese provides the basis of inspiration for all kinds of mind-blowing outcomes.

Polenta pairs well with lots of great grilled cheese additions, from tomatoes and veggies like mushrooms or eggplant to spreads like herbaceous pesto or sweet fig jam and cheeses such as blues, creamy chèvre, or sharp cheddars. Fortunately, this sandwich is a snap to make, so you should have plenty of reasons to give your polenta this major format boost.

You can take one of two approaches to polenta grilled cheese. It's a snap to make polenta from scratch. Just cook your cornmeal with water or stock and seasonings, then spread on a sheet pan and chill in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, you can find store-bought prepared polenta that's ready to slice and eat. (In this case, toasting olive oil-brushed slices in the oven for about 20 minutes to a half hour before constructing your sandwiches will help your polenta to develop flavor, crisp up, and become that craveable golden-brown color.)

Either way, you can cut your firmed up polenta into slices that serve your needs in terms of size and shape (bite-sized polenta grilled cheeses are excellent appetizers). Proceed as you would if you were using standard bread by layering a polenta slice, your chosen cheese and other fillings, then another polenta slice. To toast your tasty sandwiches, follow your favorite method, whether that's in a frying pan, on a griddle or grill, or even in the oven or broiler for a mess-free grilled cheese. The same hallmarks of doneness apply: You'll want that crispy exterior and cheese that's melted all the way through. There are always debates about whether to use olive oil or butter (some grilled cheese enthusiasts swap in coconut oil) as your frying fat, but that may depend on your flavor profile and what tastes most like heaven to you. This polenta grilled cheese will deliver no matter what.