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Black Bean & Polenta Casserole

Updated On: Oct 12, 2023

When I was in my 20’s I lived in Oakland, CA and worked in Berkeley.  I truly believe that my love of food started in that university town.  I went from living in a tiny little town in Northern California with 1 Mexican restaurant to a large sprawling city with choice upon choice of every ethnicity or style of cuisine.  One of my favorite spots to grab lunch was The Juice Bar Collective.  It’s a tiny little hole in the wall on Vine Street near Shattuck and is still there.  They make their version of this casserole with fresh everything.  You can absolutely taste it in every bite.  The crunch of fresh cilantro and the sweetness of tomatoes that are perfect.  How I wish I could hop a plane right now and just go there for lunch.  Most of their menu is vegan but you can get items with free range turkey and others with cheese.  This is my adaptation of their wonderful dish.  It does contain cheese, so if you’re lactose intolerant or vegan, then omit and just add some fresh salsa instead.  I hope you give it a shot and let me know what you think.

I’m counting down the minutes until lunch time.  Tick tock tick tock.

Black Bean & Polenta Casserole

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
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Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups water
  • 1 ½ cups polenta
  • ½ medium onion chopped
  • ½ medium red pepper seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups black beans
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

  • Bring the water to a boil and slowly add the polenta while whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until the polenta is thick and begins to bubble in the center, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a 13×9 glass baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Refrigerate until solid, a few hours or overnight.
  • In a large saute pan coated with cooking spray, add the onions and peppers and saute until they begin to get soft. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the black beans and stir to incorporate.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Spoon the black bean mixture on top of the polenta and top with the cheese. Heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes until just warm. Serve with fresh salsa, avocado and sour cream if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 835IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram!

Recipe By:

Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.

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  1. I’m so excited to try this!! I was looking for a polenta and black bean recipe but couldn’t remember what inspired me. Now I remember the Juice Bar!!! I also worked in N. Berkeley in my 20’s and this was one of my go-to lunch places.

    1. Heather Scholten Author says:

      I wonder if we were standing in line together? ◡̈ Thanks for commenting and reminding me that I need to make this oldie but goodie again ASAP.

  2. olivia ann silensky says:

    i dont have glass baking dish. why must it be glass?

    1. FarmgirlGourmet Author says:

      The recipe was tested using glass. Cooking times will vary if you use metal, but it’s totally possible to do that, just watch it for signs of burning.

  3. Lori Hellemn says:

    I worked in the Walnut Square for four years and ate at the juice bar almost everyday, this was one of my favorites! I just ran across your post, haven’t had this tasty dish in 21 years, I am so excited to make, thank you for posting!!!

    1. FarmgirlGourmet Author says:

      It was my fave too and thanks for commenting on it because now I need to make it right away…and maybe take a new pic. haha Hope you enjoy it Lori. Which shop did you work at in Walnut Square? I worked at Earthly Goods for a year or so. Such a fun place and cool people.

  4. Margery Cohen says:

    Thanks, for posting this recipe, Heather. I developed it when I worked at the Juice Bar back in the 80’s.

  5. Amazing. I too ate daily at JBC during college. My friends absolutely loved your interpretation of this recipe for black bean pollenta casserole, it was a total hit. Thank you.

    1. FarmgirlGourmet Author says:

      I miss that place. I need to do a roadtrip to CA just to eat there again. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know! Happy Friday! ~Heather

  6. Farmgirl Gourmet says:

    Haha Kim…that’s awesome. Well I hope mine does justice…it’s hard to beat JBC’s version. Their salsa is wicked delicious! I miss that little hole in the wall!! Thanks for stopping in! 🙂

    xo
    Heather

  7. I.cannot.believe.this. I just googled “polenta black bean casserole recipe” because I was just in Berkeley for vacation (I live in DC) and I wanted to make something resembling this recipe. Your recipe was the first to pop up. I did not mention Berkeley in the search. How is this possible? Everything there was amazing. Thank you for this!

  8. I’m more of a grits girl myself, although as much as I love both black beans and grits, I had not considered putting then together! I’ve been trying to get back into doing Meatless Mondays again. This looks like a good, quick entree!

  9. saltyseattle says:

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  10. These are all lovely flavors. I think polenta is a fantastic base for this casserole. Great post!

  11. Farmgirl Gourmet says:

    LOL Barbara! If you didn’t live so far away I’d invite you over to have some. Still plenty left over! 🙂 You could bring corned beef with you! haha

  12. Barbara | VinoLuciStyle says:

    Leave a comment? I can’t…there are no words. OK, Want. How’s that?

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