We often have this beautiful polenta as a main dish, but it also makes a great alternative to soup as a starter for your holiday meals! This festive pumpkin beet polenta is:
Easy To Make
Full Of Festive Flavours
Warm & Comforting
Less Than $10 For 4 Generous Servings
And You Can Even Prepare It In Advance!
What Is Polenta
Polenta is traditionally an Italian dish of fine cornmeal which has been cooked in water, broth, or milk. Christina from Christina’s Cucina shares her traditional recipe for cooking polenta the way she was taught by her mother and grandmother.
This creamy, porridge like dish is inexpensive and incredibly easy to customize however you’d like!
For this recipe we add:
- Pumpkin Puree and Fall Spices for a Creamy Festive Flavour
- Balsamic and Maple Roasted Beets for Sweetness
- And Sauteed Beet Greens for a hint of Spice, Saltiness, and Texture
How To Make Polenta
Typically, polenta is made by adding 1 cup of cornmeal to 4 cups of liquid and cooking the mixture for at least 25 minutes.
You can buy quick cooking polenta that has been partially cooked and re-dried and will be ready in about 10 minutes. Make this recipe timelier with a quick cooking cornmeal if you can find it!
The name polenta, can refer to both the uncooked cornmeal and the cooked dish. You should be able to find multiple varieties of cornmeal (or polenta) in your local grocery store. I tend to buy coarser cornmeal for making cornbread and a fine cornmeal for this creamy corn porridge!
Some tips for making polenta:
- I love using our homemade vegetable broth instead of water for the added flavour!
- Add the cornmeal slowly and whisk constantly to ensure the cornmeal doesn’t clump together.
- The cornmeal will seem done after about 10 minutes, but if you allow it to cook longer it will get even creamier and more tender.
- Make sure to stir right to the bottom and along the edges of your pan to keep the polenta from sticking.
- Switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon once the polenta gets thick.
- And flavour your cornmeal however you’d like! Add spices or creamy sauces to the polenta and top it with roasted veggies, mushrooms, or whatever else your heart desires!
Recipe Cost For Pumpkin Beet Polenta
This festive pumpkin beet polenta costs us: CAD $9.16! That’s $2.29 for 4 generous servings!
If you don’t use water or thrifty homemade vegetable scrap broth, the cost will rise to roughly: CAD $12.20 using 4 cups of store-bought broth.
The polenta itself, costs less than $1.00 if you use water or homemade broth. The rest of the cost comes from the beets, the pumpkin, and the other additions. Polenta is a fantastic, inexpensive grain to have in your pantry!
*I find polenta easier to make than risotto and similar in versatility.
Making It Ahead
Polenta is certainly best when fresh. However, you can definitely make this dish ahead of time if you are hosting and don’t want to be spending 30 minutes in the kitchen prior to serving dinner.
- The beets can either be roasted ahead of time, see our how to roast beets post for all your options or; you can roast the beets while you cook the polenta.
- The sauteed beet greens can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in a warm skillet.
- And the polenta can be cooked ahead of time and reheated in a saucepan in order to return it to its creamy texture. I find that no extra liquid is needed when reheating this polenta because the pumpkin puree makes it quite creamy. However, if your polenta is seeming a little dry, just add a few dashes of broth or water.
Do you think you will give our pumpkin beet polenta a try? Let us know in the comments below if you try this festive dish and how you like it!
Festive Pumpkin Beet Polenta For When You Host
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This festive pumpkin beet polenta makes a great alternative to soup as a first course! Easy, inexpensive, and sure to impress your guests!
Ingredients
For The Beets:
- 2 cups roasted beets (diced)*
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Salt and pepper to taste
For The Beet Greens:
- 1 bunch beet greens (washed and chopped)*
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Pinch of chilli flakes
For The Polenta:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ small onion, diced
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or water but broth will add lots of flavour, use homemade broth for extra savings!)
- 1 cup polenta (fine cornmeal)
- 1 ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or sage)*
- ½ tsp salt & pepper (or to taste)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, combine diced roasted beets, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to marinate while you make the polenta.
- You can either saute the beet greens before you start the polenta, or multi-task a little bit and saute the greens when the polenta is almost done cooking and doesn’t need as frequent stirring. Simply heat the oil in a skillet and saute the minced garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in the greens with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until wilted about 5-8 minutes. In the last couple minutes of cooking, sprinkle with chilli flakes and lemon juice. Remove from heat and set aside.
- For the polenta, heat a preferably wide and deep saute pan with a lid over medium heat with a drizzle of oil, water, or broth. If you don’t have a saute pan large enough, you can use a non-stick pot. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion. Season with salt & pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour vegetable broth into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Raise the heat a bit and cover with a lid to speed up the process. Once simmering, lower the heat.
- With the heat on low, use a wire whisk, and slowly add the polenta to the lightly simmering broth, ¼ cup at a time. Whisk constantly to avoid clumps. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Stirring frequently. (After about 10 minutes the polenta is too thick to whisk so switch to a wooden spoon for the remainder of the cooking time).
- Add in the pumpkin puree, fresh thyme leaves or chopped sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and any additional salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes to combine all the flavours.
- To serve, spoon the polenta into shallow dishes, top with sauteed beet greens, then roasted beets, and garnish with more thyme or sage and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
*Approximate Cost: CAD $9.16 (roughly $2.30/serving) using homemade broth. Using 4 cups store-bought broth brings this recipe to CAD $12.20.
*If your beets are not previously roasted; peel them, dice them, toss them in maple syrup and vinegar, and roast at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can do this while your polenta cooks.
*You can definitely prepare your beets and beet greens ahead of time. The beets can be room temperature when you assemble the dish and you can reheat the beet greens for a few minutes in a warm skillet. The polenta is best when fresh, but if you have to make it ahead of time you can reheat the polenta in a skillet until warm. It shouldn’t need any extra liquid to get creamy again but if it is looking dry, you can add a splash more broth to rejuvenate it.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Simon
This was my first time making polenta. My wife and I really enjoyed it and will definitely make it more often in the fall for pumpkin season.
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh great! It’s definitely on our fall menu too. So glad to hear you both enjoyed it. Thank you for giving it a try and for letting me know!