Creamy Vegan Spinach Polenta

Polenta is one of my favorite ingredients so this dish was a no-brainer! Growing up in the south, I always loved eating grits. Polenta is just finer ground cornmeal – like a slightly more sophisticated version of grits. What's so great is its versatility! You can make polenta creamy like this recipe, or you can slice it up and fry it for polenta cakes. Polenta makes a great breakfast option, side dish, or base to add main ingredients on top!

This recipe gets so creamy by using almond milk and vegan cream cheese. However, if you can't find vegan cream cheese, omitting it will result in a texture that is almost just as creamy. The polenta starches release while cooking to create a thick, creamy dish! The best part of this recipe is that you can add just about anything to it to add more flavor.

1. It's so simple and quick! With just minimal ingredients, the only prep work you'll have to do for this dish is to cut up the polenta tube into smaller pieces! After that, you just toss it into a pan and whisk, which is why this recipe is a favorite!
2. It's a great way to incorporate more veggies! I love adding frozen spinach to this recipe, but it would also be great with blistered cherry tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, or even chopped-up broccoli!
3. It's a great side dish to pair with recipes like:
   • Bang Bang Tofu
   • Crispy Honey Soy Glazed Tofu
   • Couscous Arugula Lemon Salad

• Tube Polenta – I like to use the polenta found in a tube because it's the easiest the find at the store for me. If you can't find the tube stuff, feel free to use regular dry polenta or finely ground cornmeal! Follow package instructions for cooking that polenta, then incorporate it into this recipe.
• Frozen Spinach – I love using frozen spinach because it's so quick and easy, and it's already chopped. You can always use fresh spinach, omit the spinach entirely, or use a different green like kale or arugula.
• Vegan Cream Cheese – This helps the polenta get super rich and creamy. I like using Trader Joe's vegan cream cheese, but Kite Hill makes a great one as well as other brands. If you don't have that, you can always use cashew cream, or just omit it entirely!
• Unsweetened Plain Almond Milk – I love using this to help the creaminess by cooking the polenta right in it. You can also use any non-dairy milk as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder

• Non-stick pot or pan
• Knife
• Wooden Spoon
• Whisk

Remove the polenta from its casing. Then, chop into small 1-inch pieces. The smaller the cuts, the faster the cooking process will be.

There may be excess liquid in the polenta tube, just pat it dry if needed.

Add the polenta cubes to a non stick pot and add 1 cup of almond milk. With the heat on medium-high, continue stirring until the pot begins to bubble.

As it heats up, begin to use a wooden spoon to press against the cubes to break them up. The cubes will break apart easier as the cooking progresses.

Continue to do this until the mixture has very few clumps and looks like the photo below.

Step 3: Incorporate the Add-Ins

Add 1 cup of frozen spinach as well as 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese to the polenta and stir to combine.

Also add the salt and garlic powder at this stage.

As the polenta thickens, add ½ cup more of the almond milk and stir.

Using a whisk, stir to remove any remaining clumps and to combine the ingredients well.

Continue to whisk and stir slowly until the polenta is thick and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

• You can always use a different plant-based milk or non-dairy creamer. Some types, like cashew or oat-based milks, will result in a creamier texture.
• Try adding some plant-based cheese to this! Parmesan would be great as well as cheddar for a cheese-grits feeling!
• This recipe would be great with other veggies such as blistered cherry tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, or even chopped-up broccoli!

The key to keeping polenta soft and creamy is to continually stir and to keep a good amount of liquid in the mixture! Adding too much of a fat source like butter or olive oil can cause the polenta to solidify when cooled, preventing it from being soft and creamy.

Polenta is made out of finely ground cornmeal. You may be familiar with grits, which are the same thing but they are a coarser grind. To make creamy polenta, the finely ground cornmeal is typically cooked with milk or cream and stirred frequently to release the starches. Other creamy polenta additions can include cream cheese, regular cheese, yogurt, and butter.

If you buy the polenta in a tube or log, you can keep that in a cool dry place until the package expiration date. Once cooked, you can store polenta in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Always inspect for signs of bacteria before eating. To heat up leftover polenta, add it to a warm pan and add a splash of milk or water to keep the creamy consistency.