Switch up your breakfast routine with these incredible Breakfast Polenta Bowls! Creamy polenta topped with crispy bacon, sautéed onions and bell pepper with a crispy-edged fried egg to finish it off.
I have so much love for polenta
It may sound strange but I can’t quite quit it. I want it for dinner. Or to sit on the couch and spoon it straight from the pan and into my mouth. And now I will forever crave it for breakfast. Basically all day everyday.
So I ate both of these bowls. I’m not proud but I was blissfully full. Full of creamy polenta, topped with sautéed green bell pepper and onions, crispy bacon lardons THEN (big gasp) a crispy-edged fried egg tops it off. And then you attack it with a spoon.
That drippy yolk kills me. Kills me.
To Make These Breakfast Polenta Bowls You Will Need:
- bacon
- red onion
- green pepper
- kosher salt
- milk
- broth
- polenta
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- parsley or green onions for garnish
- red pepper flakes – optional
Start by tossing the bacon into a cold cast iron skillet and heat over medium.
Cook, stirring every so often until crispy and gloriously perfect.
Scoop the bacon pieces out with a slotted spoon and onto a paper towel lined plate.
Drain off all but a tablespoon of bacon fat. (Save that fat for frying the eggs!!!)
Toss in the diced onion…
…the diced green bell pepper…
…plus a pinch of kosher salt. Cook stirring until the vegetables are soft and tender.
Transfer those to a medium bowl…
Add in the crisp bacon pieces and stir to combine.
Pour two cups of milk into a medium sauce pan.
Add in a cup of broth, place on the stove top heat over high.
In the meantime, measure out 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
Once teeny tiny bubble start to gather on the top of the milk/broth combo… it’s about to come to a boil.
Reduce the temp to medium or medium-low and pour in the polenta, salt and pepper while whisking.
Continue to whisk, dodging the bubbling hot polenta, until the milk has been absorbed and the mixture is lusciously creamy. Keep on low and stir to keep the polenta loose.
The skillet should still be warm from the vegetables, so just heat it back up to medium and add in the bacon fat you saved from earlier. Crack in as many eggs you need or that can fit in the pan and cook according to your preference.
Divide the polenta by spooning it into bowls. Top with bacon/pepper mixture and a crispy edged fried egg.
Sometimes I like to sprinkle my eggs with salt, cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes for a smidgen of heat.
Then I go in for the kill, armed with a fork and enjoy every blessed bite and in this case, every bowl too! And the breakfast polenta bowls leftovers are just as fab the next day.
Oh and this isn’t the last of polenta in breakfast form. I guarantee it.
Enjoy! And if you give this Breakfast Polenta Bowls recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Breakfast Polenta Bowls
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut applewood bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/3 cup finely diced green pepper
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup coarse ground yellow polenta, or grits
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 large eggs
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place bacon pieces in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium. Stir occasionally until the fat has rendered out and bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
- Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat, reserving remaining fat for later. Add onions and peppers to skillet, season with 1 pinch of salt and stir to coat in the fat. Sauté until soft and tender. Transfer to a small clean bowl, add in the crispy bacon pieces and stir to combine.
- In a medium-size saucepan add milk and broth, heat on high until bubbles just start to form at the top. Whisk in polenta, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until liquids have been absorbed and the polenta is creamy. Keep on low heat, stirring occasionally to keep it loose.
- In the meantime, add remaining bacon fat into skillet and heat over medium. Crack in eggs, cook according to preference. Season cooked eggs with salt, pepper and chili flakes.
- Spoon polenta into bowls, top with bacon/pepper mixture, top with a fried egg and torn parsley leaves. Serve immediately.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
Get in my belly.
That’s my dream breakfast right thur.
Ha ha! Thanks Kelli!
I love breakfast food. I would eat this in a New York minute and be utterly delighted. A very good idea.
Thank you Carol! 🙂
This looks divine!! Looks super hearty and filling, I can see having this for brinner too.
YES! Brinner is my absolute favorite!!
You had me at polenta! Then you went and added all my favorite things and created perfection!
Thanks Alison! I could eat this every single day of my life!
Dude, I would eat both of those bowls and THEN some. So much yum!
Ha ha! I know riiiight! 🙂 Thanks Stephanie <3
This is dreamy, creamy, delish!!!! Can’t wait to make it. Making another one of your recipies tonight, So this one will have to be tomorrow. And I agree with @blondegirlcravings–brinner!
I see a handful of sharp cheddar thrown in the grits, and possibly a thin slice of tomato under the egg. And then it’s dinner tomorrow!
Those bowls make it look even better! I need a few of those, with handles.
YES! Brilliant! And I got the bowls at Pier1 😉
These are pretty darn gorgeous. I would eat both bowls too!
YESSSS yesyeysyes. I’m smitten for soft polenta, so this is AGUNNAHAPPEN.
i didn’t have polenta, but i did have grits (the white ones). delicious. i’ll try it with the polenta next time!
Yum! Polenta for breakfast! I can get behind that!
Omg! I seriously just expressed my undying love of polenta last night (while eating it straight from the pot pre-dinner). I’d totally eat both of these. Pinned to make immediately. I like your style!
Ah! Polenta lovers unite!! <3
I tried this too, with high hopes, for a family breakfast this past weekend… My mom said she’d do the polenta (as we’re from a country where polenta is pretty much national food, so she does know how to make a good one, me… not so much). Sadly, she was reluctant to use the milk & broth mixture and decided to use water when she made the polenta, to which she added a bit of butter to make it more smooth and yummy. Another substitution I made was yellow onion instead of red, as I was out. Sadly, while everyone said it was good, I didn’t find it as flavourful as I was expecting… And I am now wondering why that was, was it the lack of milk & chicken broth in the polenta or was it the yellow onion? The other thing I found eating this is while I don’t mind it in stir fries and other dishes, I wasn’t thrilled by the pepper-onion combo:( Any thoughts on this, Laurie?
Hi E! It could be any of the reasons you mentioned. Maybe it was using water and not the milk and broth for the polenta… but it could of been the yellow onion, I don’t think they have the same flavor as a red onion. It’s really hard to say but if you give it another try, keep me posted on what you think. I hope you had a lovely weekend! 🙂