Cold mornings require something hearty, something warm, something cozy. After shoveling the driveway, hand me a spoon and let me shovel something infinitely lighter and more pillowy. Polenta, please. Sauté garlic, add a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, a sprinkling of cheesy nutritional yeast flakes, and let me dig into a bowl.
My favorite brand is De la Estancia. It’s a fine grain polenta that cooks extremely quickly and is smooth in the mouth, unlike some coarse polenta brands. My current favorite sun-dried tomatoes are from Trader Joe’s and come in a resealable bag. What I like most about them is that they aren’t covered in oil in a jar and don’t have to be rehydrated before use. They still have their moisture – like raisins or dried figs. They come in julienne slices that can be cut down to a dice, if preferred, with kitchen scissors. The only negative is that they aren’t organic.
The polenta cooks in a minute with a process that’s similar to making boxed mashed potatoes. If I’m in the mood for a larger breakfast, I top it with beans, sautéed greens, or roasted vegetables.
Easy Breakfast Polenta
Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side
- 2/3 cup fine grain polenta
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth or 2 cups water + ½ vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
- ¼ cup rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings: fresh basil, red bell pepper chunks, beans, sautéed greens, or roasted vegetables
In a small pot, sauté garlic in oil over a medium heat. Once garlic is translucent and fragrant (about 3 minutes), add broth (or water and bouillon cube, if using). Bring broth to a boil. Once it has reached boiling, lower to a simmer and slowly add polenta, stirring constantly. Once polenta is thick and pulls from sides (about one minute), add rice milk, nutritional yeast flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper.
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Tags: breakfast, creamy, polenta, recipe, side, vegan, vegetarian
Polenta for breakfast…genius! Thanks for the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it!
Could this be made with premade tube polenta?
Unfortunately, this recipe couldn’t be made with pre made tube polenta. If you spread Easy Breakfast Polenta on a baking dish and let it cool and harden in the refrigerator for a few hours, it would have the same consistency as the tube version. Then you could use it in the same way that the tube version is used. (People often fry it and cover it in a marinara sauce or use it stacked in a polenta lasagna.)
I’m excited to try this. It looks like a a great alternative to a Tofu Scramble (which I find always disappointing).
Breakfast Polenta had never occurred to me. Seeing as how I’m more of a savory breakfast girl than sweet, this will be absolutely perfect! Thank you!