Nourishing Polenta Bake

Prep Time: 10m | Cook Time: 10m | Servings: 5

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced (200g)
• 250g mushrooms, chopped
• 120g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into small strips (the kind in oil, but without the oil!)
• 100g spinach
• 1L water (4 cups)
• 500ml soy milk or plant milk (2 cups)
• 320g polenta (2 cups)
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp ground paprika
• 3 tbsp vegetable stock powder (I use Massel Beef-Style - it’s vegan don’t stress!)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot.

Add the diced onion and mushroom and cook, stirring frequently, for around 5 minutes until onions are soft and mushrooms are slightly browned.

Add oregano, paprika, thyme and pepper. Stir for a minute to release some of that delicious herby fragrance!

Add sundried tomato, the veggie stock powder, 1L of water and bring to the boil.

Add the soy milk.

TASTE the mix!!! If it doesn’t taste good and isn’t salty enough for you, add a pinch of salt.

Add the polenta and then stir til your mixture gets nice and thick - about 3-5 minutes.

Once it’s thick - stir in the spinach and nutritional yeast until the spinach has wilted then turn the heat off.

Grease a baking dish generously with some vegan butter and pour polenta mix out into the dish. Spread the mix out evenly.

Let mixture sit in pan for about 30 mins so cornmeal can soak in the moisture and become soft, otherwise you will have gritty polenta! You may have to let it sit for longer if your cornmeal is coarsely ground. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200ºC.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a delicious lookin’ golden brown crust has developed on top.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.