My sister Diana served this Seared Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes when I visited her in Portland. It’s a really delicious vegan recipe. Because the dish uses prepared polenta, it doesn’t take long to prepare. It’s a great recipe for weeknight dinners.
This Seared Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes recipe comes from the Frugal Vegan
Tips
- You can buy tubes of prepared polenta in most grocery stores or an Italian market.
- When searing the polenta, don’t be tempted to move it around the pan. If you let it cook in place, you’ll get beautiful crisp edges and a flavorful seared taste and the polenta won’t stick to the pan.
Ingredients
To make this recipe, you need the following ingredients.
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 1 pound polenta, sliced into ½-inch thick rounds
- 1 1/2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (the original recipe called for 1 pint, but I like a little extra tomato)
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 cups fresh spinach or arugula
- kosher salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
First cook the polenta slices. If your skillet is small, you might have to cook them in batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering and glides across the pan, carefully add the polenta slices. Cook the polenta until crispy and golden brown on each side (about 8 minutes). Don’t move the polenta around in the pan, except to flip it once to cook the opposite side.
Transfer the polenta slices to paper towels to drain the excess oil. Move the polenta slices to a large baking sheet and put them in the oven to stay warm while you finish cooking.
Wipe your skillet clean and add the other tablespoon of canola oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cherry tomatoes. As you cook the tomatoes, they will sputter and pop. This is what you want. Cook the tomatoes until they blister and are slightly charred (3-5 minutes). Gently press on the tomatoes with the back of your cooking spoon, so that they release their juices. Reduce the heat to medium–low and add the garlic. Cook for a minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir and remove from the heat. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
To serve, divide the polenta onto 4 plates. Top the polenta with a handful of spinach or arugula. Add a generous scoop of the tomatoes and their juices.
Related Post
Here are some other vegan recipes:
- Spicy Broccoli and White Bean Pasta
- Carrot, Ginger and Orange Soup
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Arugula, Orange and Fennel Salad
You might also enjoy Pasta with Citrus-Scented Ricotta, Charred Pearl Tomatoes, Wilted Baby Kale and Toasted Hazelnuts. You can omit the ricotta for a vegan dish.