Christy gave me this idea after she watched my Zucchini Pizza Bites Video. I have to admit, I’m new to polenta. I actually bought it for the first time to try this idea a few weeks ago.
Tonight, after work and then grocery shopping the toddler and I hit the kitchen. He was very willing to help and made his very own Polenta Pizzas (see below). :~)
I made a few adjustments after the video. This is a quick write up, no measurements or nutritional information. I just don’t have it in me tonight so you are getting the overview. Sorry. :~(
Ingredients
- Polenta cut into thin slices
- Tomato paste
- Garlic powder
- Basil
- Part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Pepper
Instructions
Preheat the broiler
Brown the polenta slices in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray about 3-4 minutes aside over medium-high heat until just browning.
Top the cooked polenta with a smear of tomato paste, and sprinkle with garlic powder.
Add basil, sprinkle with cheese and pepper.
Broil for about 2 minutes until cheese melts.
📖 Recipe
Polenta Pizza
Ingredients
- Polenta cut into thin slices
- Tomato paste
- Garlic powder
- Basil
- Part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler
- Brown the polenta slices in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray about 3-4 minutes aside over medium-high heat until just browning.Polenta cut into thin slices
- Top the cooked polenta with a smear of tomato paste, and sprinkle with garlic powder.Tomato paste, Garlic powder
- Add basil, sprinkle with cheese and pepper.Basil, Part-skim mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Pepper
- Broil for about 2 minutes until cheese melts.
roni
April - that sounds fantastic!!
April
I LOVE polenta! It's really easy to make yourself, and when you make it yourself, it seems to have a better texture than those tubes, plus you can control what spices go into it.
I made a polenta lasagna a few nights ago, and made the polenta with half chicken broth/half water, a few cloves of garlic, some cayenne pepper and salt. I poured it into 2 loaf pans and refridgerated. They solidified into nice layers for the lasagna. For the filling I did tomatoe sauce, kale, roasted red peppers, olives and cheese. It was seriously amazing!
Susan Frisque
I am so amazed! I have a girl who is 23 months. So, I was so amused by Bryan! What a sweetie! I never heard of polenta. I will be trying these and the zucchini pizza bites soon! Thanks so much for the effort you put into sharing your great ideas!
Sally
Another awesome idea! =P These are REALLY good.. I wasnt so sure about them at first when i opened the package of polenta and water went flying all over the place.. That was totally unexpected lol.. But after tasting 1 i am hooked! =D
Jessica
Hi Roni,
This is my first time commenting, though I've read your blogs for awhile. I tried this recipe today and added a thin slice of turkey kielbasa to each one. I LOVED it, though my husband wasn't thrilled with the polenta. 🙂
Nancy
Awesome! I'm so inspired to try these this weekend. I've never tried polenta before but I've been seriously considering it lately, and this video has convinced me. Thanks for recipe! Your blog rocks! 🙂
Preeti
I went the Mexican route with these. The polenta is pretty bland so I topped it with a mixture of black beans, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, black olives and ff cheese. I garnished mine with a smidge of ff yoghurt and cilantro...these were YUMMY! Thanks for the super idea Roni!
Emma
Roni! Those look yummers! I love looking at all of your creative creations. I had been meaning to make the zuchinni ones, but ended up using them for something else. Tonight I think I'll make the tortilla pizzas. I use flat-out brand tortillas and I've been making them forever now. (And since I'm not going out...I can pump up the garlic powder, which makes them spectacular! Who doesnt love garlic?) It's one of my fav meals- I'll post a picture on my blog tonight.
Polenta is something I've always been intimidated by...I love corn meal though, maybe I'll try this someday! haha
Oh and your son is adorable. I wish I could babysit for you!!
JennDZ_The LeftoverQueen
I just love polenta - I made a polenta lasagna this week - these pizzas are another great way to use this versatile grain! 🙂
Anna
A few ideas for you-
I liked your wonton pizza idea so I took chicken and low fat cream cheese and put a little inside a wonton wrapper, sealed them in little triangles and baked. they turned out great. I though of maybe adding chives or green onions but my daughter won't eat anything grenn and speckly! Also, I'd like to try a wonton version of a jalapeno popper or stuffed mushroom. I thought those might be a good alternative to a fried appetizer.
Also, try adding roasted red peppers to your homemade hummus. It gives it a nice taste and a pretty color.
aeslin
Bonnie -
Polenta is super easy to make on your own.
8 cups water
2 cups polenta or coarse yellow cornmeal
salt
Boil water with salt. Add polenta in a thin stream and whisk it until it's mixed in. Then cook over medium heat, still whisking, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer. Every 10 minutes, uncover and stir for a minute. Cook about 45 minutes total.
You can serve it warm right away, and it has a creamy consistency like thick grits or cream-of-wheat. Or, if you let it get cold, it will solidify and you can slice it and fry it like you do for the pizza bites.
Hope that helps!
superluckykitchen
i love polenta! this is an awesome way to fix it, i wish i could get my 8 year old as interested in cooking as your son seems to be!
roni
Thanks guys!
Bessie - I've seen it in the ethnic section by the Italian stuff, in the fridge section and with the Mexican food! I'm not sure people now quite where to put it! lol
As for the taste, it's a fairly bland corn meal. That's it. It's you like the texture of corn bread you'll like it, it's just not as sweet.
Laura Brandon
these look soooo good! what a great idea, i'm definitely going to have to try this! you are so creative roni!
arimcg
Those look great. I think I'll try the Mexican version too - that's a really good idea!
Christy
Woohoo...thanks for using my idea and dropping my information. Maybe I will start to receive some traffic on my site. Your polenta bites looked much yummier than the ones I made. 🙂 By the way, I think your son is going to grow up to be a chef. He is SO into cooking with you.
kyree90
I did try these for lunch, and they were very tasty. To make them Core-friendly, I did use soy cheese, and it doesn't melt nearly as well ... but they were still yummy.
Bonnie
Looks good, Roni. I'm interested in how to make polenta....if you're ever so inclined to try it and let us know. Or if anybody else out there knows how, I'd love to know how too. Your videos with Ryan are just precious! Thank you......again!
swizzlepop
Very cool! I've made a big polenta pizza before after seeing a recipe on Self but I think the bites are even cooler! Did you buy a polenta roll like the one I've mentioned in the past (from Trader Joe's), or did you make polenta and then cut it with like a circle cutter or something? I think I need to try these since I really like polenta.
I'm still hooked on your tortilla pizza's. I always knew I liked pizza but I think your obsession with it has slightly rubbed off LOL.
How many other types of pizzas can you make? Not like I need more really, but your videos and pics always inspire me to cook more. And really, what is better than healthy pizza? 🙂
Allison
This is SUCH a good idea. I'm super excited because I have a tube of polenta just hanging out, and now I have a really cool way to use it! And I am SO glad you got some fresh basil (I got some last night too!) I'd really been missing it after I let my plant die during the winter ): It just adds a whole other dimension to the flavor profile, or can just totally MAKE a simple, quick, easy meal like this.. IMO. Thanks so much for sharing.. so cool! Can't wait to try it.
becky
mmmm these look good, too! Your son is adorable. I've never had polenta, but the Wiki says it's made from cornmeal... so it's probably a-ok in my book. I think I'll look for some tonight after work and top it with spinach and tomatoes for a yummy Lent snack. Thanks for sharing! This site is excellent 🙂
Bessie
I've never heard of polenta... what section of the store is it found in? What does it taste like?
kyree90
Looks good. Thanks for the idea! I've been wondering what else I could do with my polenta. (I bought a tube and grilled a couple of slices on the George Foreman grill, then topped it with a mix of black beans, tomato and zucchini.)
Think I'll try to use some more of it up with some polenta pizza bites for lunch tomorrow.
roni
Oh yeah! What about fat free refried beans, peppers and Mexican cheese! MAN! I should have went in that direction! LOL
Dani Spies
My mind is spinning with delicious toppings for these little polenta rounds! Being the mexican food freak that I am, I'm leaning towards some black beans with salsa and cheese:)! Yum...the possibilities are endless!! Thanks Roni!