If you are looking for a taste of the Mediterranean with all of its complex flavors but without the meat, cheese or oil, look no further. Our Mediterranean Polenta Pizza with its combination of kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and white wine is magical and bold. This is no wimpy veggie dinner!
This recipe was adapted from a couple of different recipes from the Forks Over Knives cookbook. They both looked good and I couldn’t decide which one to make so I combined the best elements of both to create one fabulous new Mediterranean Polenta Pizza.
Using polenta is a nice option for a hearty wheat-free and gluten-free meal. We used this ready-made brand which comes in several different flavors:
but you can always make your own from a package such as this:
This is best served immediately with our Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup or some fresh steamed veggies. Asparagus made a nice side dish as it provided a complimentary but not overwhelming flavor. Despite the seemingly small quantity of food on this plate it was quite a filling meal.
Prepare your taste buds!
PrintMediterranean Polenta Pizza
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Italian, Main Course, Appetizer
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Mediterranean Polenta Pizza has a bold combination of flavors which create a savory Italian dish without the meat or cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound finely chopped mushrooms (baby bellas, criminis, white, or any combination)
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 Teaspoon dried basil (or 1 Tablespoon fresh basil)
- 1 Teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup dry white wine or cooking wine
- 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 1 cup oil-free sun-dried tomatoes soaked in 2 cups warm water for 30 minutes, drained and chopped
- 2 packages polenta
- Pepper to taste
- 1 cup of fresh spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice the polenta into ¼” rounds. If using homemade polenta from a square or rectangular dish, cut into triangle shapes. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until warmed through.
- In a large saucepan sauté the mushrooms, peppers, onions, and shallots until the mushrooms release their juices. Stir frequently to keep the veggies from sticking and try not to add water unless absolutely necessary as the mushrooms will exude liquid.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the basil if using dried (if using fresh it is added later) and thyme and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the white wine, the kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
- If you are using fresh basil add it now and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add pepper to taste.
- Put the polenta slices on plates, top each slice with several pieces of spinach and spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the mushroom/olive sauce on each slice.
Notes
The kalamata olives contain some sodium and the dish was well-flavored without any additional salt.
What a FUN recipe! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
What great recipes this week in the link up!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com