Creamy Polenta with Cabbage Topped with Greens & Pine Nuts
Last night I made some creamy polenta with onions, cabbage and garlic. I added some nutritional yeast to give it a bit of a cheesy flavor and cabbage for richness. I don't cook polenta very often because it's often difficult to find non-GMO, organic polenta. I bought mine in bulk at Whole Foods, but you can also purchase organic grits, polenta or cornmeal online. They all work. Cooking time depends on the coarseness of the grain.
You can also purchase instant polenta or polenta ready-made in tubes or blocks. If you buy pre-cooked or instant, check the ingredients carefully to make sure it isn't overly processed.
For those following a gluten-free diet, polenta works as a gluten-free grain substitute.
Although polenta contains numerous vitamins and minerals, it's not classified as a good source of any one vitamin. Polenta contains traces of calcium, iron, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin E.
The key to preparing polenta is to add lots of layers of flavor. Hence the cabbage, onions, garlic and nutritional yeast additions. Pile on the greens cooked any way you like to prepare them. I lightly steamed this spinach, topped it with lemon juice, citrus shavings and a sprinkle of pine nuts.
This creamy polenta can sit for about 30 minutes on warm without any problems. If it sits any longer, you may have to add more liquid. I recommend serving it right away.
If you find yourself with a lot of leftover polenta, pour the polenta into a baking pan or any wide, flat, shallow container. Cover and refrigerate. Cut into triangles and saute until it's crispy on both sides. Top with marinara sauce or any sautéed vegetables.
If you found this recipe on Facebook live – you can find those creamy non-gmo, gluten-free grits I cooked with here on Palmetto Farms website, or you can purchase them on Amazon.
Hope you enjoy this creamy polenta with cabbage as much as I did. Don't miss any of Ordinary Vegan's free recipes by signing up here.
If you like cabbage as much as I do, you will probably like these stuffed cabbage rolls or my chickpea soup with cabbage.
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- 1 cup coarse non-gmo, organic cornmeal
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth for sautéing
- 4 cups of vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups green cabbage, chopped well
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon of grated lemon peel
- 10 cups (10 ounces) of greens
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- lemon wedges
- In a large saucepan, heat the ⅓ cup of vegetable broth. Add the onions and cabbage and saute the vegetables until soft. About 5 minutes. Add more vegetable broth if sticking.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the 4 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
- Whisk the polenta into the boiling water in a slow, steady stream.
- Whisk in the nutritional yeast.
- Lower the heat. Cook over a moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until the polenta is thickened and tender, about 30 minutes.
- Cut the greens into bite-size pieces. Add one or two inches of water to a pan and insert the steamer basket. Bring the water to boil over high heat.
- Add the greens and cook until they are bright green. Make sure you don't overcook them. This process should only take a minute or two.
- Pour the polenta into a bowl. Spoon the greens over the top. Sprinkle with lemon juice and grated lemon peel. Top with pine nuts. Serve with lemon wedges.
This looks great.It is just that for southerners, grits are a staple food. I would feel funny calling them polenta.
If we in America, why not just call them grits?
Hi Carole – I think that is my Italian side coming out. I always called it polenta growing up but I like the name grits equally as well. Hope you enjoy the recipe and thanks for stopping by and for being part of our healthy community!
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