How do you feel about polenta? Have you ever tried it? If not, here’s your chance for a fabulous introduction!
Honestly, I didn’t start loving polenta until probably around four years ago. My college-aged self was never exposed to the delightfulness of the flavor or texture. It’s a shame really, but since my discovery I’ve relished in polenta based dishes.
These days it’s easy to come across polenta in restaurants or in the millions of recipes on Pinterest. Today, I’m bringing you a killer brunch recipe to serve whenever you feel like being a little fancy. Funny enough, this recipe actually isn’t fancy or difficult at all. The ingredients are simple and you more than likely have them sitting in your pantry already. For reals.
To make this brunch special, the polenta is first mixed with a little water, garlic and salt and pepper to form a nice paste. You’ll press it down into a large cast iron skillet, then top with refried beans (Trader Joe’s beans are my staple), your favorite salsa, cheese and then organic eggs. Bonus! There’s a whopping 5g of fiber and over 14g protein in one serving of this beauty. Don’t worry, I’ve got your nutritional bases covered for you.
I do have to note that you can make this as spicy as you’d like. If you’re a spicy fiend like your girl Ambitious Kitchen, then feel free to use a hot salsa and top then finish off with a few drizzles of hot sauce (Tapatio is a staple).
As far as cheese is concerned, I used GO VEGGIE’s Lactose Free Cheddar Shreds. As many of you know, I’ve been working with Go Veggie for over two years now. I switched to their cheese after discovering how lovely it melts in all my recipes — just like regular cheese! Another perk is that Go Veggie’s cheese provides 50% more calcium, no cholesterol or saturated fat, and no lactose or gluten. These are things that are important to me when I’m cooking for Tony as his family has a history of both high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Head to their website to get 1.00 off on any of their products. You can also find their store locator here, which will help you locate which stores near you carry their products.
As far as what this recipe tastes like, it’s very similar to huevos rancheros, perhaps even with a hint of tamale flavor too. The layers of flavorful polenta and refried beans will have your heart singing, I promise. This is absolutely one of my favorite brunches out there, and I hope you find the time to enjoy it! Best yet, this can easily be made into an easy dinner — just increase the number of eggs. I’ve included nutritional info for both breakfast and dinner versions below. Enjoy! xo.
Be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram or leave a comment below if you make this recipe!
More savory breakfast recipes to try:
Jalapeño, Pepper Jack & Turkey Bacon Quiche with Potato Crust
Savory Chicken Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffins (keto + low carb)
Veggie Packed Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos
Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
Sweet Corn Honey Jalapeño Zucchini Cornbread Waffles with Turkey Bacon & Eggs
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Polenta, Refried Beans & Egg Skillet Bake
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (18 oz) tube polenta
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15 oz) can vegetarian refried beans
- 3/4 cup Go Veggie! Lactose Free Cheddar Shreds
- 1 cup your favorite chunky tomato salsa
- 6 organic cage free eggs
- To garnish: Fresh cilantro, diced avocado and hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch cast iron skillet generously with nonstick cooking spray. You can also use a 9x9 inch pan if that's what you have on hand.
- In a large bowl, break up the polenta with your hands so that it's chunky and crumbly. Add in warm water, garlic, salt and pepper; mixing again with your hands until well combined. Pat polenta down in the skillet and evenly cover the bottom.
- Next spread refried beans over the top of the polenta, followed by salsa. Sprinkle cheese over the top, then crack eggs on top. Generously season with more salt and pepper.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until egg whites are set. Drizzle hot sauce on top and garnish with avocado and cilantro, if desired. Serves 6.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post is in partnership with GO VEGGIE! I love their products and have had a longstanding relationship with their brand. Thanks for continuing to support AK and the brands that help make this site possible!
I have made this several times now. I have both followed the recipe and altered it when i have been out of ingredients. Like today, I ad the wrong salsa, so i sauted some cherry tomatoes, eggplant and jalapeños to add to the salsa layer…every time it comes out great. And…so easy! thank you …it’s a keeper!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
This sounds delicious! But I’m not a huge egg-lover – do you think I could scramble the eggs and put that on top instead of just cracking them on top? It would make it a less dramatic presentation but a texture I like better.
Sure! If you scramble them you won’t need to cook them in the bake, so feel free to make the dish without the eggs and then serve with the already-scrambled eggs.
I really want to try this for a brunch I am hosting with friends. I am concerned about the eggs not cooking through as some others have noted. Does it matter if it’s a glass or metal pan? I don’t have a cast iron skillet
Sooooo delicious!!! I am so glad to have found this recipe. I am the only one in my home who adores
Mexican food. However, recipes like this are bringing in converts! The flavor-swoon! Thank you!
Aw I’m so glad you found it, too, and that you and your fam enjoyed this one! ❤️
I tried the recipe, made polenta from scratch then layered it in a 9×9 pan to cool before adding the other layers. I’m not sure how to fix this, but at 55 minutes of baking, the egg whites had not completely set still. So I ended up scooping out the uncooked white and just ate the rest, but the yolk was sadly cooked through already. Like a few others, I am also curious about how to handle leftovers.
Hmm that seems really odd that the egg yolks would cool but not the egg whites. Unfortunately I’m not sure how to remedy that. For the leftovers you can just reheat in the microwave without the egg, or simply enjoy cool!
Oddly the same thing happened to me – some of the whites, especially the more center eggs, wouldn’t set while the yolks were cooked. I make a lot of baked egg dishes and this is has never happened!
Love this recipe, but carbs are through the roof! However, I can probably get 6 or 8 meals out of it without wrecking my old tired body. I’m 70 years old and think I have a doctor for every part of my body! Anyway, I will make this real soon. Thanks a bunch!
This one is super hearty and filling! Hope you get a chance to make it 🙂
Has anyone tried the following replacements? Cornmeal for polenta, and/or black beans for refried beans? Thank you!
Hi there! I see that you included this in your meal prep post, do you cook the eggs and all and refrigerate? I’m always curious how eggs reheat. Thanks so much!
Made this last night for dinner and it was almost impossible to save any for this morning’s breakfast since my boyfriend and I couldn’t stop eating it! So delicious and easy to make!
What is the best way to save & reheat this? Looking to use it as breakfast (for me!) the entire week. Should I freeze pieces and add a fresh fried egg upon reheating?
We go through refried beans like CRAZY in this house. Totally trying this soon and sharing!
I have a box of dried polenta, can I use that instead? And if yes, do I need to add more water? This meal looks amazing!
In the oven now! I’m very excited to try this!
Can I give a suggestion? The amount of ads and plug ins on this page is awful. It’s frozen so many times and lagged even more. I’d love to give more recipes a try but if the website takes longer to respond than it takes to make dinner, it’s a turn off.
I made this last week and I’m eating the last piece now. So good! I used regular cheese and cut back on the eggs a little. I’ve frozen a few pieces for weekday breakfasts. Thank you!
i would be eating this alone, so if i only have one serving a day do i freeze the rest so the egg doesnt go bad?
I’d love to try making polenta one day! Looks delicious for any time of the day!
I am looking to make this dish last for more than one meal. Do you have any suggestions for reheating? Thanks!
I can’t even figure out which is the best part of this amazing skillet, the creamy refried beans, the perfectly cooked eggs or that delicious polenta base. DROOLING!
This looks so delicious! The photos are amazing!
Absolutely gorgeous recipe Monique!! So fun seeing you last week!!
In love! Though I’d have to use real cheese, this is a MUST make for next weekend!
We had grits for dinner last night and it reminded me I need to experiment more with grits and polenta!! This looks so good girl!
This looks so simple and delicious! I always keep homemade refried beans in my freezer. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks.
You know what, I’ve NEVER tried polenta! How crazy is that?! But I’ve been wanting to, and with all those eggs and awesome veggie beans and cheese? I NEED to make this now! Pinned!
Oh man. I’ve had polenta on my “to make” list for ages, and being a lover of refried beans and eggs, this looks like the perfect way to start. I’ve never seen polenta in a “tube.” Can you make your own with cornmeal/water and then use this in the recipe?
Yes, I think that would work well. Ancient Harvest makes tubes of polenta. 🙂
Oh girl YUM! I love polenta!