In this Mexican Polenta, crispy baked polenta cakes are topped with salsa, spicy sautéed vegetables, and black beans - an easy meatless dinner idea!
Pantry Staples to the Rescue
Many years ago, I had a really bad takeout habit, which was not helped by the fact that we lived practically next to Chipotle and a local sandwich shop, and down the street from Panera. Whenever I was tired and didn't feel like cooking, my husband would stop at one of those places on the way home and pick up dinner.
Those impromptu takeout dinners really started to add up! Meal planning has helped us almost kick the habit, and having some key pantry staples on hand sealed the deal.
Sometimes even when you have a meal plan, dinner falls through - you cut into the peppers you're planning on stuffing for dinner and half of them are moldy inside, or you planned for a dinner that requires a lot of prep and you're just not feeling it. That's when those pantry staples come in handy.
This Mexican Polenta recipe uses two of my favorite pantry staples: a tube of polenta and a can of black beans.
What is Polenta?
You can usually find prepared polenta near the pasta or pasta sauce at the grocery store. It's a log of pre-made polenta that you can slice and use in all kinds of easy meatless dinners.
Polenta fries are one of my favorite ways to use them, but I regularly use them to make polenta bakes too - I cut the polenta into circles and layer them with marinara sauce, sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, or roasted broccoli, and shredded cheese.
Polenta can be thrown on the grill, added to salads, pan-fried in a little oil, and it works in a variety of cuisines, not just Italian.
And when even that feels like too much work, sometimes I'll just sauté a bunch of vegetables and pile them on top of polenta slices.
Don't Forget the Salsa Beans
Then there's the black beans! Whenever my favorite brands of beans are on sale, I stock up on black beans and garbanzo beans because I use them so often and they make the perfect starting point for a variety of quick dinners.
I topped the baked polenta in this recipe with black beans simmered in salsa-salsa beans!
Salsa beans work on nachos, they work on baked sweet potatoes, and they even work as a taco, burrito, or quesadilla filling.
Seriously, salsa beans will change your life. They're nothing fancy, but they're one of those ideas that will keep you from ordering takeout because salsa beans take way less time and effort than schlepping to Panera and waiting for your food to be ready. 😉
And if you love this Mexican Polenta, be sure to check out these other tasty ideas:
- Vegan Jackfruit Tamales
- Ratatouille Polenta Stacks
- Polenta, Halloumi, and Veggie Kebabs
- Stuffed Mexican Sweet Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 24 oz tube polenta, cut into 16 slices (I used Sun-Dried Tomato)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of cayenne
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup jarred salsa
- 4 oz queso fresco, crumbled
- chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and additional salsa for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Use an oil mister filled with a high smoke point cooking oil (like grapeseed or olive oil-light, not extra-virgin) to coat a large baking sheet. Place the polenta slices on the sheet and spray the tops with additional oil. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time, until the polenta is crispy and golden brown on the edges.
- While the polenta is baking, start the sautéed veggies. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne; cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the zucchini and red pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes more, until slightly softened. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the beans and salsa in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
- Divide the polenta slices onto 4 plates, then top each with salsa beans, veggies, and queso fresco. Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and additional salsa.
Emma says
I've been looking for polenta in a tube for years with no luck 🙁 It would be a useful thing to have on hand. I've taken to making my own polenta slices and freezing them so I can just pull a couple out and load them with toppings for a speedy meal like this one.
Exactly the kind of food I like! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Rachel says
Trader Joes sell it
Kiersten Frase says
Maybe it's an American thing! Well, your solution of making it and freezing it works too. 🙂
Karen C says
Thanks for this recipe! I live in NJ and recently they held a "Hatch Chile Pepper Roast" at various stores (we never have good Hatch Chiles). I bought 2 tubes of Hatch Green Chile Polenta, then thought what am I going to do with it? Your recipe is perfect!!! It is delish! Followed most of recipe but didn't have red pepper - sliced some grape tomatoes I needed to use. It's so yummy!
diana hershey says
If you have a trader joes they carry an organic tubed pre-cooked polenta!
Isi says
I've been able to find it at Walmart in the pasta isle.
JulieD says
I love polenta fries too...and this looks amazing...love the medley of flavors and perfect for today! I can't wait to make this when I get back home!!
Kiersten Frase says
I didn't even realize I had it scheduled for Cinco de Mayo until Friday--ha!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
I just picked up polenta in a tube for the first time (I know!) so I'm excited to try this!
Kiersten Frase says
Woo hoo! Enjoy your be-tubed polenta. 😀
Allison @ Clean Wellness says
This looks perfect for tonight's dinner! I've been scratching my brain figuring out what to make. I need to look for polenta in a tube! It looks revelatory!
Kiersten Frase says
Usually polenta in a tube is on the highest or lowest shelf in the pasta aisle. At least at the stores I shop at, it is. I guess it doesn't get much love. 🙂
Julia Mueller says
It has been far too long since I've make baked polenta! This meal looks so satisfying - sauteed veggies with salsa on top of grains is a meal I could eat every day of my life. I've been needing good ideas for zucchini and your veggie saute definitely fits the bill 😀
P.S. LOVE the meatless meal plan archive!! I shall never be hungry again 😉
Kiersten Frase says
I'm SO excited about the archive! Probably more than any reasonable person would be. 🙂
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
Took me years to try polenta and now it's my fav. I love polenta fries as well. It's funny - I always use polenta in Italian type dishes, but love what you did with adding Mexican flavours and black beans. Cannot wait to try this 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
Yeah, I think it took me a long time to try polenta too! It wasn't a food I grew up eating, so I had no clue what it was. 🙂
dishing up the dirt says
I buy a tube of pre-cooked polenta every time I'm at the store. We eat roasted polenta rounds almost every day for lunch. Topped with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. Love this version!
Kiersten Frase says
That is such a good idea for a lunch! I totally get into ruts with my lunches, so maybe I'll start doing that too. 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love polenta, what a great idea to top it with Mexican flavors!
Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody) says
Yum! I could live off polenta, this looks like a very satisfying way to put it to good use!
Cassidy Stockton says
Love it! This is one of our favorite ways to enjoy polenta at home- we call it Mexi Polenta. I love your version with the zucchini and red pepper! Thank you!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad I'm not alone in my Mexican Polenta love! 🙂
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
I love your new meatless meal plans! It makes life so much easier. Thanks for doing all of the work for us. This quick meal sounds amazing. Quick is the only way I cook during the week. Yum!
Kiersten Frase says
Yeah, usually the last thing I feel like doing at the end of the day is cooking a complicated dinner!
All Natural Katie says
Made this recipe tonight! Delicious! I used turnips and snow peas because that is what I had on hand. I like that this recipe is versatile and can be adapted to what I have on hand.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Katie (The Muffin Myth) says
Ahhh, I miss those polenta tubes! You can find all kinds of food in tubes here (rice pudding, soup, jam, cream cheese, caviar... the Swedes love their innovative packaging) but I've not seen polenta. I also like to make a big batch and freeze the extras (for polenta fries!). I'll have to give this a go soon. I love the quick and easy idea of it!
Kiersten Frase says
PUDDING IN TUBES! Oh wow. I would never leave the house.
Joanne says
You know, I used to use those polenta tubes all the time, but haven't bought one in AGES. I think it's time for a revival, especially now that salsa beans have entered my life. Game-changers.
Kiersten Frase says
They are a game-changer! I kind of wish I had discovered them when I was in grad school. I would have eaten a lot less Rice-A-Roni.
Michelle says
I've never had polenta, but always think it looks so good when I see recipes like this! I am living over in Asia right now, so those little tubes of polenta are not available to me 🙂 Any idea how to make polenta from cornmeal? I imagine it's not much more than cornmeal and water? Or is it already cooked when it's in one of those little rolls??
Kiersten Frase says
We're actually posting a tutorial next week on how to make those polenta logs yourself! 🙂 You do have to cook the cornmeal with the water to get it nice and thick.
Debbie T. says
I made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. I really haven't done much with polenta before and now I don't know why. I made my own polenta, it didn't take very long and I had extra to save for later. My carnivorous husband loved this as well. Thanks for the great dinner idea. I am always looking for new things to try.
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment - I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jen says
I'm making this right now. Yes, polenta in a tube is at Trader Joe's or as I discovered after a fair amount of searching, hiding on the bottom shelf in the natural foods section of Kroger. I love the salsa beans too. I made your black bean and sweet potato tacos the other week and made the salsa beans for those and they were awesome. I will comment again after eating this but I'm sure it'll be great. Love this blog.
Jessica says
Made this tonight! it was a hit even with the carnivore boyfriend. I used celery, zucc, and spinach as the veggies tho because it was all I had on hand. Still amazing!! Oh and toped it with feta, avocado and fresh tomato with a spash of lime juice. Yum! Hearty, healthy, and delicious.
Mary Ann says
Our stores stock the pre-made polenta (also sold as corn meal mush, depending on brand) in the same refrigerated section as they keep the eggs and cheeses, or in the same section as the fresh vegetables and pre-cut, pre-packaged salads. So, if you can't find it in the pasta aisle, look EVERYWHERE, because different stores stock them in different places.
I love polenta, and just recently found a really good recipe/directions for making my own, so I can finally control how much salt it has in it - some of the store polenta has way too much salt for me! I can also choose which shapes to mold it in that way, too, so it works better for different recipes. I'm about to try it as a pizza crust this week, in fact, and am planning to try to make taco salad bowls with it, too. It's just such a versatile food, and can even be a sweet dessert, if cinnamon sugar is added to it, or honey, or ... well, just use your imagination!
Andy Brough says
Just made this for my wife and sister in law with huge success.
Wife: I don’t want this to sound rude... did you actually cook this?
I used canned fire skinned tomatoes with garlic instead of salsa.