Polenta even without meat: 5 vegetarian and vegan recipes to try

Discover 5 vegetarian and vegan variants of polenta, versatile and nourishing dish.

The ancient polenta is nothing more than a simple dough of water and cereal flour, in particular corn, for this reason it has always been called “The plate of the poor“. Often considered a Very heavy dish full of caloriesin reality the polenta has a fairly limited amount of calories, certainly lower than that of the pasta. The more soft it is, the more light and digestible it will be. Of different types and variants, in fact each region has its recipe, we propose it to you green accompanied by vegetarian sauces and of course vegan. With the cold composed behind your home door and guests coming for lunch, what else to prepare if a very hot and tasty polenta?

First, however, start with the basic recipe which you will then use in the variants you have chosen.

Polent preparation, basic recipe (for 4 people)

Boil in a very large pot over high heat, salted water. Then add a little at a time and very slowly (to prevent the so -called “fraticelli” from lumps) 500g of yellow flour for polenta, Mix everything with a nice wooden ladle. Continue to mix always in the same verse, mixing the deepest layer with the more superficial one until the mixture is mixed well.

If the polenta begins to become too hard and compact, then Add a ladle of hot water to make it softer. After about 40 minutes, during which you have continued to turn the polenta, this will start to detach from the edges of the pot and in theory it could already be served on the table but, the polenta the more it is cooked the more good is therefore continued the cooking for another 20 minutes.

Once the cooking is finished, pour the polenta on the traditional wooden cutting board and bring it to hot table hot with the contour sauce you prepared.

Vegetarian polent

Polenta with mushrooms and gorgonzola

Preparation

Peel the onion well and chop it. Clean the mushrooms well And cut them in finance. Take a pan and brown the crushed garlic with a little oil, add the onion and mushrooms. Leave to dry for about 10 minutes over low heat.

Prepare the polenta and a few moments before taking it to the table over the fire, add the Parmesan and the Gorgonzola cut into small pieces Mixing until the cheeses have completely merged, if necessary add a little water.

When the polenta is ready, add the Mushroom cream and let them cook for another 5 minutessufficient time to narrow the cream. When cooked, add the parsley and correct with salt and pepper. Now all you have to do is arrange the polenta in the individual dishes and cover it with a little mushrooms and their cooking sauce.

Serve very hot!

Advise: if the gorgonzola is a cheese for which you just don’t go crazy you could replace it with simple fontina.

Polenta with radicchio

Preparation

Clean the radish And cook it on the plate or grid, brushing it with oil.

Cut the polenta and slices and grill it lightly.

It has the polenta and grilled radicchio on the dishes above

Season everything with a drizzle of raw oil, chopped garlic and chilli powder and serve adding the cubes of previously cut cuts on polenta.

Vegan polenta variants

Polenta with mushrooms

Preparation

Prepare the polenta as per the basic recipe.

In the meantime, brown a clove of garlic, a little crumbled bay leaf, and oil. When the garlic has colored (turn it often so as not to attack it) stew the mushrooms.

After about ten minutes of stove, turn off and sprinkle with a little parsley

Once the sauce is ready, finish cooking the polenta and serve everything on a cutting board in which you will have poured your polenta with skill with all the mushrooms next to it.

Polenta with beans

Preparation

Clean and chop the celery, carrot and onion. Fry the smells with a little oil in a pot. When they are browned, add the beans (which you have soaked previously according to the necessary time) and half a jug of water. Cook them. When cooked, remove a third of the beans and crush them to prepare a soft puree.

At this point, prepare the polenta. In the meantime, add the aromatic herbs to the crushed beans. When the polenta is cooked, add the bean puree with the aromas and arrange everything on a wood cutting by pouring the remaining beans next to it.

Serve everything hot

Spinach polenta

Preparation

Prepare the polenta. Wash the spinach thoroughly and boil them in plenty of salted water. Drain and squeeze them slightly and then chop them.

When the polenta is cooked, add the chopped spinach with a little butter by mixing everything well. Serve this delicious Polenta Green Very hot.

Accompany the polenta with a good organic red wine, not too strong

Enjoy your meal!

Polenta: 15 recipes without meat