An easy and delicious breakfast or brunch idea using polenta. Polenta is basically Italian cornmeal, and wokrs great for breakfast. Paired with the Brussel sprouts, vegan bacon, and cucumber tomato salad for a deliciously satisfying meal.
Have you guys had polenta before? Not only is it delicious, it’s easy to make and gluten free! There are two kinds of polenta the pre-cooked one that comes in a cylinder and the actual grain. For this recipe you need the grainy, boil on the stove version. Cooking polenta is very easy so don’t be intimidated if you haven’t made it before.
I was inspired to make a breakfast polenta bowl when on a Pinterest search. I had been searching for vegan breakfast ideas. Then I saw people using polenta in their vegan breakfasts as a sweet oatmeal replacement. But then I found the savory polenta breakfast from Cadry’s Kitchen and I knew I had to make my own version.
You can of course put anything you want in this bowl. However, I will say everything that was in the bowl worked really well together. There were a lot of fresh elements combined with warm cozy flavors.
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“Cheesy” Polenta Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
Cheesy Polenta
- ¾ cup polenta 105g
- 1 ½ cups water 360ml
- ¼ cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds 28g
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
Spicy Sesame Brussel Sprouts
- 15 Brussel sprouts halved
- ½ cup water 120ml
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Cucumber Tomato Salad
- ½ cucumber peeled and sliced
- 5-6 to tomatoes sliced
- ¼ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Dash of salt and pepper to taste
- Extras: vegan bacon and vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare cucumber and tomato salad by adding all ingredients into a bowl. Toss to mix together and set aside while you prepare the rest of the elements of the bowl.
- To make the Brussel sprouts take a pan and fill it with a ¼ cup of water. Add the Brussel sprouts cut side down. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium low heat. Brussel sprouts will turn bright green. Once water is all gone add in another 2-3 tbsp and cover and cook one more time. Now Brussel sprouts should be softer. Drizzle the sesame oil and add salt and red pepper flakes. Toss and remove from the heat.
- To make the polenta add the water and salt into a pot and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat, add the polenta in and begin to whisk. The polenta will start to thicken. After about 1-2 minutes of whisking add in the vegan cheddar cheese and nutritional yeast. Continue to whisk for an additional 4-5 minutes. When done whisking the polenta will be thick, bright yellow and look creamy. You can give a taste and add in more salt. If the polenta is a bit gritty you can add in another ¼ cup of water and whisk more. Then cover it for 3-5 minutes. *all polenta has different cooking times but the finer the polenta the less cooking time it needs.
- To cook the bacon I like to add a bit of coconut oil spray into a pan. Place the bacon in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side to get crispy.
- When ready to assemble the bowl add all the elements in. I topped the polenta with a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and vegan parmesan. I added a bit of salt and pepper to the whole bowl and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings.
- All polenta brands have different cooking times, so just be sure to cook it accordingly.
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Yum! This looks amazing. So glad my polenta recipe inspired you. 🙂
thank you! yes I saw your pictures and I was droooooling. <3333