Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms and Chickpeas

I’m going to be completely honest, I haven’t eaten polenta since I’ve been a kid! Lately, I’ve been bored by using rice, quinoa, or other pantry staples I have at home in most of my main meals. I wanted something different. Then I thought of polenta, and I gave it a try. This is how we came up to the idea to make our Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms and Chickpeas.

Polenta is a great gluten-free vegan alternative for any grain, or for mashed potatoes for example. It’s great source of fiber and protein and low in calories and fat. But most of all it tastes delicious!

The traditional polenta is made by using 1 part of polenta and 4 parts of water. We add a little bit more water to make this dish extra creamy, and for some extra flavor we recommend adding vegetable bouillon cube (to replace water and vegetable bouillon cube use vegetable broth instead). This recipe is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, and perfect for vegans!

Let us know if you like this recipe. Here are a couple of recipes you might want to check while you are here: Red Beans & Corn Salad Recipe, Matcha And Hazelnut Fudge, and Sweet Potato And Lentil Patties.

Prep time: 10 min   Cook time: 10 min   Total: 20 min   Servings: 2

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INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup polenta
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
• 3.5 oz (100 g) chopped white button mushrooms
• 4.23 oz (120 g) drained cooked chickpeas
• 4-5 tablespoons tomato paste or sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small red onion (chopped)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon tamari sauce
• pinch of black pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon dried oregano
• baby spinach leaves for decoration (OPTIONAL)
• water (1-2 tablespoons for cooking mushrooms if needed)

INSTRUCTIONS

• How to cook polenta: Add 1 1/2 cup water in a medium size pot and add vegetable bouillon cube. Bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low to medium. Add polenta and 1/2 cup of water. Stir constantly using a whisk to avoid lumps. To reach the creamy texture add 1/2 cup of water. Set aside
• While the polenta is cooking add olive oil and chopped onions in a deep skillet. Cook until onions become translucent. Add salt, pepper, dried oregano, and chopped mushrooms. Cover the lid and cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Add water if needed. 
• When mushrooms are cooked add tamari sauce, tomato paste or sauce, and cooked chickpeas and cook for another 2 minutes. If you are adding tomato paste you might need to add extra 1-2 tablespoons of water. We used tomato sauce which is more runny than the paste. When cooked remove from the heat. 
• Serve by adding polenta first at the bottom of the plate and then add the cooked mushroom and chickpeas on top of it. We decorated our plate with a couple of fresh baby spinach leaves which is totally optional. 
• Let it cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy your Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms and Chickpeas!

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