Griddled Polenta Cakes with Caramelized Onions, Feta, and Honey

Sometimes I feel like I need a leash when I'm at Trader Joe's. I always end up buying something NOT on my grocery list. This time a pre-packaged roll of polenta caught my eye. It looks like this -->

I've cooked polenta from scratch before and was naturally curious if the pre-packaged roll tasted any different. If I could save time by just heating up the polenta, why not? I cut the polenta into 1/4 inch rounds and griddled them in a skillet! Super easy and super delicious. 

This recipe calls for caramelized onions which I've never made before & now I understand what all the hype is about!  I definitely google-d how to caramelize them and you can read too if you want: Click HERE for the advanced guide on how to bring out the natural sweetness of an onion. Otherwise, the instructions in the recipe should do :)

I was honestly really happy with the final result! The honey and sweet caramelized onions were a great balance to the tang of the crumbled feta on top. The original recipe calls for goat cheese (which is even tangier) so I can only imagine how nicely the flavors would play off each other. I got a nice sear on the cakes by using just a little bit of butter (EVOO works fine too) so the overall texture was really crisp with a softness once you cut in.  Overall, this recipe was scrumptious and easy to prepare!

Griddled Polenta Cakes with Caramelized Onions, Feta, and Honey 

Recipe Adapted from HERE (Courtesy of Arielle!)

1 roll of pre-packaged polenta
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion sliced 
2 ounces crumbled feta
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Honey to drizzle 

1.  Add one tablespoon of butter to a heavy-bottomed skillet and set to medium/low heat. Add sliced onions and and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are a golden in color. The natural sweetness of the onion should come through within 20-25 minutes of cooking. 

2. Bring large skillet to medium heat and place 1 tablespoon of butter to coat the pan. Cut the pre-made polenta into 1/4 inch disks and sprinkle with salt and pepper. After your pan is hot and lighlty coated with butter, place polenta disks into pan. You should hear crackling noise when you press down on the disks, otherwise your pan needs to be hotter. Cook polenta for approx. 3 minutes on each side until fully cooked through, and slightly browned on the outside.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

3. For final preparation, take the polenta cakes and place one tablespoon of caramelized onions on each one.  Top with crumbled feta and drizzle with honey.