Creamy Polenta Recipe

Polenta is an easy and filling dinner with white beans and nutritional yeast giving it a creamy and cheesy taste without the dairy. Add a bit of broccoli and chili oil for a satisfying meal. You can serve polenta with most veggies such as cauliflower or brussel sprouts. If you’d rather skip on making the chili oil, just drizzle the oil and sprinkle it with chili flakes on top.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the polenta:

• 2 cups water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup yellow polenta

For the roasted broccoli:

• 4 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the white beans:

• 1 cup white beans, homemade or canned, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Pinch of salt

For the chili oil:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes

Directions

1. Make the polenta: Bring the water and salt for the polenta to a boil over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Once it’s boiling, add the polenta and whisk until the polenta is fully incorporated.
   Lower the heat (as low as it can go) and cook the polenta for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes with a whisk to break up any clumps.
2. Roast the broccoli: Heat your oven to 425 ̊F. Arrange the chopped broccoli on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt. Roast until the broccoli is tender and beginning to char, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Make the bean puree: While the polenta and broccoli are cooking, combine the drained beans with the olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor or in a high speed blender. Puree until smooth, adding a few tablespoons of water as needed to help smooth it out.
   When the polenta is done cooking, stir the bean puree into the polenta.
4. Make the chili oil: Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the chili flakes, remove from the heat, and let it rest until ready to serve. (You can make this ahead of time!)
5. Assemble the bowls: Divide the polenta among four bowls. Top with the broccoli and a drizzle of the chili oil.

Source: Simply Recipes