Polenta with Spinach Recipe

I recently had some barbecue meatballs left over from my Super Bowl recipe development and wanted to turn them into a full meal rather eating them as finger food. I decided to serve them over some polenta with spinach and WOW! The result was pure comfort food! It happened to be a really cold, dreary day and this meal just hit the spot!

This Polenta with Spinach makes a great stand-alone side or a base for toppings.

Creamy polenta makes a great side dish on it’s own or a base for any sort of savory topping – could be meatballs, could be some sautéed vegetables like onions, mushrooms, peppers, or asparagus maybe with some wine added in and reduced toward the end of the cooking.

Spinach adds flavor, color and nutrition.

The spinach in this recipe adds a subtle earthy note to the slightly sweet polenta and some nice color too. An added bonus – it makes the dish more nutritious with plenty of vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytonutrients.

Give polenta with spinach a try! It’s a pleasant diversion from the same old rice, potato and pasta based starchy sides. In general, I tend to stick with more nutritionally dense, higher fiber starches, but I’m a believer in everything in moderation and this creamy, satisfying dish is worth a little splurge.

Polenta with Spinach

Prep time

8 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

38 mins

Recipe type: Side or Base for an Entree

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp margarine
½ onion, chopped
1 cup yellow cornmeal (be careful if you’re gluten sensitive – many brands of cornmeal state they’re processed on the same equipment as wheat so it’s wise to buy a gluten-free brand)
1 cup almond milk (or rice milk or you can even just use all water if you prefer)
2 ½ cup water
1 tsp salt
3 cups baby spinach, packed

Instructions

Melt margarine in a large saucepan.
Add onion and sauté a few minutes until soft.
Add polenta, salt and slowly add the almond milk and water a little bit at a time stirring with a whisk.
Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer stirring frequently for about 30 minutes until it’s thick and creamy. (You can add more water if it gets too thick.)
Stir in the spinach, 1 cup at a time until wilted.
Serve hot.

Notes

Leftovers can be refrigerated. It will solidify but you can reheat it, stirring with a little more water to make it creamy again.