A simple elegant recipe for Creamy Polenta with Spring Veggies and Gremolata – a flavorful and healthy meal featuring vibrant spring produce that can be made in under 30 minutes. Vegan & Gluten Free!
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.~ Henry David Thoreau
Wandering through the farmers market this week (my favorite thing to do) I picked up some beautiful spring veggies and put together a simple vegan meal. Soft creamy polenta cradles tender fiddlehead ferns, morel and porcini mushrooms and asparagus. A flavorful zesty herb sauce called Gremolata is spooned over the top, and there you have it. Spring in a bowl. So simple, so easy. So elegant and flavorful. I could eat this every day.
I love this recipe because it’s easily adaptable and could be made in any season, using any seasonal veggies you choose. For those requiring more protein, serve this with grilled chicken or fish, or crumbled goat cheese. But for today, I’ve kept it clean and lean, letting the veggies shine. The creamy polenta is made “creamy” with olive oil, but make sure to see recipe notes for other options.
Some of you know that I used to own a vegetarian restaurant in my previous life. One of the things that I like to do is pretend that what I share here (simplified of course) would be the “special” of the week at the restaurant. (Please don’t misunderstand, I absolutely do not want to have another restaurant – I loved it and at the same time, am soooooo happy to have moved on.;) ) But this Creamy Polenta with Spring Veggies is one of those recipes I would love to serve up to you in the “make-believe” restaurant in my imgination. Of course it would be adorned in beautiful edible flowers.
For those of you unfamiliar with fiddlehead ferns or how to cook them, treat them like asparagus. They are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested in the wild for use as a vegetable.
Fiddlehead ferns can be sautéed, steamed, roasted, grilled or even pickled! They have a springy green flavor and are only around for a few short months, so if you see them, grab some!
For this recipe you will start off with the creamy polenta. I used a coarse cornmeal, and a little goes a long way. A half cup makes 2 very hearty servings.
It takes about 20 minutes on the stove to make this creamy polenta and while it’s cooking you can prepare the other components.
After the polenta is started on the stove, make the flavorful Gremolata! Chopped parsley, lemon and garlic, mixed with olive oil. So simple….but oh so tasty!
You can make the gremolata in a food processor or in a bowl.
You’ll find a million uses for this tasty zesty sauce – spooned over eggs, swirled into soups, layered into sandwiches or wraps, added to salads or over roasted veggies or grilled meats or fish.
Next you’ll sauté your veggies. Start with the mushrooms, then add the shallot, asparagus and fiddle heads. Of course you can substitute other more accessible veggies just see the recipe notes. 🙂
Cook the spring veggies until vibrant and tender.
Divide the creamy polenta among 2 bowls – or spoon it onto a big platter or serving bowl like you see here.
Then pile the spring veggies over top.
If the creamy polenta gets stiff waiting for you to finish up cooking the spring veggies, simple reheat, whisking in a little more water until its loose again.
Top the creamy polenta with the spring veggies and if you like, add some sautéed pea shoots for garnish.
Then drizzle with the flavorful Gremolata.
Place the leftover gremolata sauce in a little sealed jar in the fridge- it will keep up to a week.
So here you have it- spring in a bowl.
Dive in and enjoy it.
xoxo
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Creamy Polenta with Spring Veggies and Gremolata
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Vegan, Main, Gluten-free
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A simple elegant recipe for Creamy Polenta with Spring Veggies ( fiddlehead ferns, morel mushrooms and asparagus- or sub others!) and flavorful Gremolata – flavorful and health, featuring vibrant spring produce that can be made in under 30 minutes. Vegan & Gluten Free!
Ingredients
Polenta
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup dry polenta or cornmeal
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder ( or garlic powder )
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper ( white pepper is nice )
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil ( or butter, or 1/4 cup goat cheese)
Spring Veggies:
(4-5 cups veggies – here is what I used but feel free to sub other options below)
- 1 cup morel mushrooms ( brush them clean, don’t wet) see other options
- 1 cup porcini mushrooms ( brush them clean, don’t wet) see other options
- 2 cups asparagus , tough ends removed, cut into 1-2 inch slices
- 1 cup fiddlehead ferns ( optional, see other options)
- handful pea shoots ( optional)
- Other options: cremini mushrooms, spring peas, snow peas, english peas, edamame, green beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry wine, white wine or water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme ( or tarragon)
2 tablespoons Gremolata: get the recipe here!
Instructions
Bring water to boil in a medium pot. Season with salt, pepper and spices. Once it’s boiling gradually whisk in the corn meal, bring to a simmer, cover and turn heat to low. Mix again in 10 minutes. Then cook for another 10 minutes ( 20-25 minutes total). Stir in the olive oil, butter or goat cheese. Turn heat off.
While the polenta is cooking make the Gremolata. Set aside.
Cook the veggies. Cut veggies into bite sized pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms first, and sauce until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Add shallot and other veggies. Season with salt and pepper and stir often. Lower heat and take your time, cook about 5 minutes until al dente, or just fork tender. Give a splash of wine or water, turn heat up to medium to help cook off the wine. Taste, adjust salt, remembering the gremolata will add a lot of flavor, so keep the veggies simple. If you have very thick asparagus, or larger pieces of veggies, you could cover the pan for a few minutes to lightly steam them, being careful not to overcook or you may lose their lovely color. If using pea shoots as the garnish, make a well in the center of the pan and lightly sauté them (keeping them separate).
Assemble 2 bowls or make one large beautiful platter or bowl and serve it from there.
If polenta has thickened too much, reheat it, whisking in a little splash of water, until loose and creamy again. Re-taste for salt. Pour polenta into bowls, top with a mound of the veggies, then top with optional pea shoots. Spoon the flavorful gremolata around the veggies, over the polenta.
Enjoy!
Notes
For those who need more protein, this would be delicious with simple grilled salmon or chicken, or seared tofu. Feel free to adjust this recipe for the seasons. In summer use grilled zucchini, peppers eggplant, in the fall roasted winter squash and fall mushrooms. Very adaptable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -2 hearty servings without Gremolata Sauce
- Calories: 371
- Sugar: 3.6 g
- Sodium: 900.9 mg
- Fat: 22.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.1 g
- Fiber: 7.4 g
- Protein: 7.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Tasty!
Delicious!
We are so fortunate to have fiddleheads growing wild in the woods behind our house. I am always looking for new ways to prepare them..so delicious!
So fun- love it Jane!
Fiddlehead ferns are in the markets, for a minute, on the East Coast, so we tried this along with mussels cooked in a brown ale, and a mixed green salad. The polenta dish was fantastic, and went very well with the mussels. Thanks! Next day I used the left over gremolata with leftover shelled mussels, for a marinated mussel salad. Perfect for lunch!
Awesome Joseph! Happy you found the fiddleheads- they are so tasty!
Total winner. It was my first time making polenta 😊 I used asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, and added some edamame too! The gremolata mixed into the creamy polenta is divine!!! I so love your recipes, keep em coming 😊
Yum! Love it!
This is so delicious! That gremolata makes it! I am making this again for sure!
Thanks Sylvia!
Glad you liked this Maria!
Sorry thumbs down from us, whole family agreed.
Oh dear. Sorry about that. Can you be more specific as to what you didn’t enjoy? It will help me when I retest the recipe- thanks!
This was super delicious. As per usual with your recipes. So simple, easy to make the gremolata ahead of time. I used asparagus, mushrooms, and green beans. Didn’t know I liked polenta! And very filling. Thanks!
Great to hear!
Love this recipe! We didn’t have access to fiddle head or morel so we re-hydrated shiitake and pan seared snap peas along with shallots and garlic. We also added some charred broccoli with red pepper flakes for a bit of kick. For the polenta, I would definitely recommend using homemade chicken stock if you can. Offers great health benefits and more flavor! We paired this dish with your miso salmon dish (sub halibut). Delicious!
Love it!
This was absolutely delicious. So delicious, it was completely worth 3 hours poking around in the muddy woods for morels (which, to be honest, I also loved). I made the gremolata with parsley and a handful of nettles, to stay with the theme of “wild dinner”, and served the whole thing over a bed of arugula. I LOVED the whole thing. (My 8 year old son gives it 4 stars only because as it turns out he’s not a fan of fiddle ferns, but otherwise two thumbs up from him too. He especially liked the mud.)
Awww thanks so much Jaeden, I’m so happy you liked this! Love the addition of nettles! great idea!
I think this is my new favorite recipe. So tasty.
We tried this recipe last week and really enjoyed it. We love the flavours! Thank you for sharing this lovely creation 🙂
So happy you enjoyed this- thanks!
Finally delicious vegan recipes thanks to Sylvia. Made this tonight….so delicious, husband loved it! The Gremolata really takes this dish to the next level. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
Awwww thanks Katie- glad you liked!
Wow. This is fabulous. I’m gradually switching to a plant-based way of eating without relying on pasta and rice . I’ve always loved polenta but have only ever eaten it with meat (also fabulous). I whipped this dish up with some leftover baby bok choi and it was divine. The gremolata was surprisingly scrumptious especially as I’m not a big fan of parsley. Will be making this one again and again. Thanks for posting!
I have tried many of your recipients and love them all. Please never stop posting your recipes and writing.
I have never seen edible ferns before, so cool! I love hearing about new and interesting foods, so I’m excited to try this recipe (though i doubt my area has these). I love polenta but I never seem to have good luck with it. I’ll give it another shot following your instructions.
Absolutely delicious! The vegan version was full of flavor, will repeat for sure!
Thanks Anne, so happy to hear you enjoyed it!!!
I didn’t have your spring greens, but used mushrooms and red onions stir fried with beet greens and roasted beets beside. Fantastic! Loved the polenta with the gremolata! Thank you!
Sounds divine! So glad you adapted it! xoxo