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    Oh My Veggies » Vegan Recipes

    Baked Polenta Fries with Garlic Tomato Sauce

    Published: May 10, 2015 · by Nicole · Updated: Mar 4, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Baked Polenta Fries with Garlic Tomato Sauce
    There are days when you want to spend time putting together a meal. Spending an hour chopping vegetables, stirring a pot on the stove, carefully garnishing the finished dish, that's all fine on those kinds of days. And then there are days when you're tired and you want to throw something in the oven and forget about it until the timer goes off.

    Polenta From TubePolenta Fries on Baking Sheet
    For those days, I present to you: Baked Polenta Fries. If you haven't had them before, they're polenta cut into steak fries and baked until crispy on the outside. Magic happens when you bake polenta. Yes, really, magic! Although they take about 40 minutes to bake, they require minimal effort on your part--just take a tube of polenta, cut it into fries, and bake until crisp and golden and browned on the edges. Magic!

    Baked Polenta Fries
    We usually have our polenta fries with jarred marinara sauce, but I thought I'd make an easy garlic tomato sauce to go with this recipe, just in case you're feeling ambitious. This adds a little more work, but not much. The tomatoes and garlic are roasted at the same temperature as the fries and then you give them a quick spin in your food processor to puree them into a sauce.

    This post was originally published on May 30, 2013.

    Recipe

    Baked Polenta Fries with Garlic Tomato Sauce Recipe

    Baked Polenta Fries with Tomato Garlic Sauce

    Baking polenta makes it crispy and delicious! If you can't find tubes of polenta at your grocery store, you can
    make your own and cut it into fries after it sets.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: fried polenta, how to make polenta fries, polenta fries
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 655kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    • 24 oz polenta tubed, halved and cut into 1 inch thick fries. I used Basil & Garlic
    • olive oil mister or cooking spray
    • salt + pepper to taste
    • 3 roma tomatoes cut into large chunks
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 1 tsp. olive oil
    • 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
    • 3 basil leaves
    • pinch crushed red pepper flakes optional
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with olive oil.
    • Place polenta fries on one baking sheet. Spray tops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place tomatoes and garlic cloves on second baking sheet and spray with additional oil.
    • Transfer both sheets to oven, placing the tomatoes on lower rack. Bake tomatoes for 10 minutes, stirring after 5. Bake fries for 25-30 minutes more, until crisp and golden-brown.
    • Transfer tomatoes and garlic to food processor and add olive oil, vinegar, basil leaves, and red pepper flakes. Process until almost smooth. Add salt to taste. Serve sauce with polenta fries.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 655kcalCarbohydrates: 138gProtein: 16gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 355mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 767IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 2mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « Meal Plan: Asparagus Stuffed Shells, Pesto Pizza, Kung Pao Pizza & More
    Broccoli Parmesan Meatballs »

    Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes garlic, gluten-free, polenta, side dishes, tomatoes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

      May 30, 2013 at 8:02 am

      Dude, I am SO making these!! Grocery time is Sunday, it just went on my list!

      Reply
    2. [email protected] says

      May 30, 2013 at 8:15 am

      Wow, such a cool way to use the polenta! I love it - so creative 🙂 Very nice pictures as well!

      Reply
    3. Martina says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:03 am

      What a great idea! These look great.

      Oh and I must check out that resturnat the next time I'm in Charleston - such a beautiful city. Although Savannah is next on the list to visit and I'm really excited about that!

      Have a great time!
      Martina
      http://snapshotsandwhatnots.typepad.com

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:36 pm

        Savannah is awesome--you will love it! There's a great vegetarian restaurant there called Vegheads too. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Grace @ FoodFitnessFreshAir says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:42 am

      Yum, the pictures are selling me on this one! These look great. It's been awhile since I've done something with polenta. Might have to change that.

      Reply
    5. Shelly (Pastry Shells) says

      May 30, 2013 at 10:12 am

      This is awesome! Do you have a favorite brand of polenta you like to use?

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:34 pm

        I haven't noticed any brands that are better than others. Melissa's makes a few different flavors and so does San Gennaro. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Caitlin says

      May 30, 2013 at 10:40 am

      i've always made my own polenta, but the prebought version looks much more sturdy and better for becoming fries! i love this idea considering there are definitely days where i'm in no mood to be in the kitchen for an extended period of time. and i must try your sauce!

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:31 pm

        Yeah, it depends how you make your homemade polenta--I've made some that ended up crumbly and some that ended up pretty solid. But in general, I prefer using the pre-made polenta for fries. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Reba - Not So Perfect Life says

      May 30, 2013 at 11:16 am

      I love everything polenta related! I've never tried the tube polenta though only made it from scratch. Is there a big difference?

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:30 pm

        Well, like most foods, the biggest difference between store-bought and homemade is that homemade takes much longer! 🙂 And homemade usually tastes better too, but for the sake of convenience, in recipes like this I usually use the kind in a tube.

        Reply
    8. Rachel says

      May 30, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      Yay for visiting Charleston! We do have some awesome restaurants, but I'm sad to tell you that, as far as I know, PatatSpot closed a while ago. It was really delicious while it lasted.. 🙁

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:27 pm

        Thanks for letting me know--such sad news! 🙁 I will remember their Indonesian ketchup fondly.

        Reply
    9. Mary Beth Elderton says

      May 30, 2013 at 12:13 pm

      Wow! This sounds wonderful!

      Reply
    10. Janet says

      May 30, 2013 at 12:54 pm

      Can I make these using homemade polenta? I make my polenta in the oven, so maybe I need to spread it out in a pan and then cut it? Any ideas?

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:25 pm

        Yes, homemade polenta works too! You'll want to put it in a shallow dish (maybe even a rimmed baking sheet?), let it set, and then cut it into fries.

        Reply
    11. Georgia says

      May 30, 2013 at 1:06 pm

      YUM! I love the idea of these chips and a homemade sauce as apposed to a sweet, bought sauce 🙂 Looks fab!

      http://thepescetarianpantry.blogspot.co.uk

      Reply
    12. Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily says

      May 30, 2013 at 1:11 pm

      I could eat this by itself for dinner!

      Reply
    13. angela @ another bite please says

      May 30, 2013 at 1:22 pm

      oooo...lovin this idea. and what a simple tomatoe garlic sauce...have fun in your travels 🙂

      Reply
    14. Robin Gagnon {Mom Foodie} says

      May 30, 2013 at 1:48 pm

      This is the kind of polenta I like.

      Reply
    15. dixya| food, pleasure, and health says

      May 30, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      i have never tried making fries with these but absolutely in love with polenta. Need to make this soon.

      Reply
    16. Puja @ Indiaphile.info says

      May 30, 2013 at 2:06 pm

      What a great idea! Baked polenta fries sound delicious. Have a great time at the wedding! 🙂

      Reply
    17. Maria Tadic says

      May 30, 2013 at 2:46 pm

      Polenta fries are awesome - love them - crispy on the outside but still creamy on the inside. Delicious! Have fun in Charleston - one of my favorite cities in the US. Next time I go, Im definitely going to have to try that falafel place!

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:24 pm

        Unfortunately, the falafel place closed. 🙁 I got a few comments letting me know about it. So sad! Charleston is still a cool city, but now whenever I go there, I'll be thinking about how Patat Spot is gone. Sigh.

        Reply
    18. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

      May 30, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      I love polenta, these fries look incredible!

      Reply
    19. polly kohler says

      May 30, 2013 at 4:01 pm

      Just great. Roping my sister into a day in the kitchen for trying out some of your wonderful dishes. Turned her and my son onto your site. They love it! Great success with the cookbook .

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:22 pm

        Thanks for spreading the word about my blog! 😀 I appreciate it!

        Reply
    20. Rachel @ Rachel's Giveaways says

      May 30, 2013 at 4:03 pm

      Lately I've been craving junk food. I wonder if this would be a healthier way to satisfy my desire for crunchy fries 🙂

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:21 pm

        They are definitely less calories than fries made with potatoes and I think they're more filling too!

        Reply
    21. Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

      May 30, 2013 at 5:33 pm

      This is genius!! I have been wanting to try cooking with polenta for awhile now, and this sounds like the perfect recipe!! 🙂

      Reply
    22. Cassie | Bake Your Day says

      May 30, 2013 at 5:57 pm

      I love this! I have never bought polenta in a tube like that but now I can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    23. Natalie @ Once Upon a Cutting Board says

      May 30, 2013 at 6:17 pm

      Polenta fries have been on my mind since I saw a recipe for them in a cookbook a while ago, but I never even thought of just making them with a tube of precooked polenta - so smart! And I love that you could have different flavour combos using the flavoured polenta tubes!

      Reply
    24. Christy@SweetandSavoring says

      May 30, 2013 at 10:04 pm

      Ooh your little getaway sounds like so much fun! Have a good time at the wedding 🙂

      We love polenta in my house, and these fries are so doable!

      Reply
    25. Sarah says

      May 31, 2013 at 6:04 am

      I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but unfortunately Patat Spot closed a few months ago. 🙁 It was one of me and my husband's favorite places to grab a quick bite downtown, too. If you do still visit Charleston and are looking for something similar, you may want to try The Green Door ( http://www.thegreendoorchs.com/ ) - they have super tasty, fresh food and I think they even have a falafel type sandwich. Have a great trip!

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        June 04, 2013 at 3:18 pm

        I read this comment when we were on our way to Georgia--so, so sad! 🙁 I loved that place. Sigh. Thanks for the tip about The Green Door! We ended up not having the time to stop in Charleston on the way home, but next time I'll know where to go!

        Reply
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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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