This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission - at no extra cost to you.
You can turn just about anything into a healthy bowl these days. Literally pick any grain and throw some yummy stuff on top, and you’ve got an easy, yet fun meal. I have made several different bowls using quinoa or rice as the base: Greek quinoa bowls, Brussels sprouts eggplant Buddha bowls, and sofritas burrito bowls. Today, I am sharing my Italian polenta bowl recipe.
Polenta is an underrated ingredient. It’s quick and easy to make, it’s cheap, it’s healthy, it’s filling, and it’s super delicious. It’s pretty much a blank canvas for any type of flavors. I vow to make more recipes using polenta…because duh, it’s delicious.
If you’re not familiar with polenta, it is made from course ground cornmeal and cooked in broth or water. Polenta specifically refers to a dish that comes from Italy. It’s typically served hot, referred to as a “porridge” or allowed to cool so that the polenta congeals and is then sliced and fried. Polenta is usually the yellow variety, while it’s cousin, grits, is made from white course cornmeal. Grits are popular in the Southern United States. Cheesy grits are a common breakfast side dish, and shrimp and grits are a popular dinner recipe. I have had both, both are super tasty. Shrimp and grits has been on my list of recipes to make for years. Coming sometime….
But first, Italian Polenta bowl is what’s for dinner tonight!
Ingredients for Italian polenta bowl:
Toppings:
- Quick pickled red onions – Love these guys so much that they have their very own recipe.
- Meatballs or lean Italian chicken sausage – cooked in a skillet. An easy and tasty way to add protein.
- Artichoke hearts
- Black or green olives
- Jarred, roasted red peppers
- Parmesan cheese – because what’s Italian anything without Parmesan cheese?
Polenta:
- Olive oil
- Italian dried herbs
- Garlic, minced
- Chicken broth – to cook the polenta in. More flavor then water.
- Quick cooking polenta
- Sun dried tomatoes – the jarred variety stored in oil. Chop them up and into the polenta they go. So. Much. Flavor.
- Parmesan cheese – again, working with the Italian theme here.
- Ricotta cheese – nice and creamy and delicious.
- salt and pepper
That’s all you need to make my Italian polenta bowl. It may kind of seem like a lot of ingredients, but most of the toppings are pulled straight out of a jar or a can. Seriously, this recipe couldn’t be any easier to make.
The polenta only takes 3 to 5 minutes to cook. See, it cooks faster then even quinoa does. It’s just proof that we need more polenta in our lives.
From there, you just spoon some creamy polenta into your bowl, throw on whatever combo/amount of toppings you like and dinner is served!
30 minutes flat to make this recipe. Stress free weeknights here we come!
I know you’ll love this Italian polenta bowl recipe. That creamy, Italian flavored polenta is the perfect bed for all of the crunchy, flavorful veggies happening on top. It’s an Italian party for your mouth!!!
Really, these bowls are super easy to customize. If you want to keep them meatless/vegetarian you can leave off the meat. I think there is enough cheese and it’s hearty enough that you will be satisfied without it. Not a fan of pickled onion? Use fresh, thinly sliced red onions instead. Prefer green olives over black ones? Go for it, use whichever makes you happiest.
That, my friends, is the beauty of a bowl recipe. In the end, it’s all just depends on what you want to put on top.
More healthy bowl recipes:
- Smoked salmon sushi bowls
- Greek quinoa bowls
- Chipotle lentil sweet potato Buddha bowl
- Sofritas burrito bowls
- Brussels sprouts eggplant Buddha bowl
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a comment below along with a star rating. This helps my recipes to be found by more people. And I love hearing from you. Thanks, friends!
Print
Italian Polenta Bowl (30 Minutes)
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 1x
- Category: dinner, entree, easy, 30 minutes,, chicken, red meat
- Method: saute
- Cuisine: gluten free, egg free, refined sugar free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Italian polenta bowl has creamy polenta as the base of the bowl, and topped with meatballs, and a variety of Italian veggies. A quick and easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Toppings
- Quick pickled red onions
- meatballs or lean Italian chicken sausage, sliced
- artichoke hearts
- black or green olives
- jarred roasted red peppers
- Parmesan cheese
Polenta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (dried oregano, basil, thyme, etc)
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups quick cooking polenta
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (the kind stored in oil), chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher sat (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Prepare toppings: If I can, I like to make my pickled red onions a day in advance. If not, make these first, (they take about 30 minutes to get nice and pickled). Here is the recipe for the pickled red onions.
- Cook the meatballs or sausage: Follow the package instructions to cook your meatballs or sausage. I recommend cooking them in a skillet for better flavor.
- Make the polenta: Heat a medium large sauce pan over low heat. Add the olive oil. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using), let the spices get nice and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth. Turn the heat up to high. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Allow the polenta to come to simmer stirring consistently, about 3 to 5 mins. Once the polenta has thickened add the sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, ricotta, cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined and taste to adjust the seasonings. Remove from the heat. If the polenta thickens more on you before serving simply add more water or chicken broth to thin out a little. The polenta should be thick, but a little pour able when you sere it.
- Assemble: To your serving bowls spoon in a good amount of the polenta. Top it with the cooked meatballs or sausage. Top it with any amount or combinations of the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, roasted red peppers, olives, and quick pickled onions. If serving to a crowd it’s nice to let guests create their own bowls how they want. Serve immediately.
Notes
Leftovers: Store all the components to the bowls in separate containers. To reheat the polenta, it’s easiest to do this in a small sauce pot with a little water or chicken broth until it’s warmed through and no longer congealed. Warm up the meatballs/sausage in the microwave. Top everything as normal.
Meatballs VS chicken sausage: I photographed this recipe using meatballs, which are good. We later ate it with some lean chicken Italian sausage, we preferred the sausage – but either option are good.
Gluten free: Make sure your meatballs and sausage are gluten free, if needed.
Prep time does not include time needed to make the picked onions (10 mins of active time – 30 minutes of inactive time for the onions to pickle).
Leave a Reply