Polenta pizza is a delicious gluten-free meal, that quickly become a favorite comfort food at home. Originally from northern Italy, polenta (usually made from yellow corn) was once considered as peasant food. Today, this nutritious cornmeal enjoys its rising popularity across Europe and the United States and can be found in first-class restaurant menus and cookbooks. Yaay!
What I really like about polenta is that it is incredibly versatile. Freshly made polenta has the consistency of grits and a lovely sweet corn flavor. When it cools, it hardens and becomes a great base for variety of awesome dishes. It can be sautéed, grilled, baked or just served as a creamy porridge. We adore making baked polenta fries, polenta pizza or small polenta appetizers… The possibilities are endless, all you need is creativity : )
However, I have to admit, that this recipe has become one of our favorite creations at home! We call it quick polenta pizza because it looks like pizza, but you don’t have to bake the crust. Instead of the classic tomato sauce, we top our polenta pizza with tahini sauce, plenty of raw veggies, tofu or vegan cheese. In this case I put some red cabbage (we ate tons of red cabbage this winter :), cucumbers, fresh spinach leaves, Kalamata olives and our beloved vegan cheese Violife for Pizza. Needless to say, it was very tasty : )
Check out this lovely vegan and gluten-free polenta pizza recipe below!
Ingredients for Polenta pizza with raw veggies and tahini sauce (vegan, gluten-free):
Serves 4
* Polenta pizza crust:
250 gr polenta
1250 ml water
1 tbs coconut oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
* Tahini sauce:
3 tbsp. sesame tahini
1 tbsp. sesame oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
Himalayan pink salt to taste
water
* Polenta pizza topping:
fresh spinach leaves
cucumbers
red cabbage
Kalamata olives
vegan cheese
Instructions for Polenta pizza with veggies, mushrooms and vegan cheese:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add coconut oil, salt and basil.
2. Slowly pour polenta while whisking constantly.
3. Lower the heat to a very low simmer and continue to cook about 15-20 minutes by stirring occasionally.
4. Once polenta get thick and smooth, pour the mixture onto serving plates, spread to make a circle and let cool down.
5. Let’s make the tahini sauce: mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until all ingredients are well combined and you have a tick creamy sauce.
6. Garnish your quick polenta pizza with tahini sauce, cucumbers, red cabbage, fresh spinach leaves, olives and vegan cheese…. Or use your imagination to create the most amazing topping according to your taste : )
Enjoy this quick, easy and crazy delicious polenta pizza with family and friends!
Photo credit: Tofobo Family