Creamy Polenta With Mushrooms, Kale, And Chickpeas

This creamy polenta with mushrooms, kale, and chickpeas is a comforting bowl built from simple ingredients. Polenta is made from cornmeal and cooks into a soft, spoonable base. It works well as a warm meal during colder months, when hearty textures feel most appealing. The mild flavor of the polenta lets the vegetables and legumes stand out, which makes this dish easy to enjoy for lunch or dinner.

This recipe comes from Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live Cookbook. Mushrooms and onions cook down until tender and savory, while garlic and balsamic vinegar add depth. Kale softens into the mixture and brings color and substance. Chickpeas add plant protein and help turn the vegetables into a filling topping. A small amount of tomato and broth ties everything together.

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The polenta cooks on the stovetop with regular stirring and thickens as it simmers. Once ready, it holds the vegetable mixture well and stays creamy. Serve this dish warm on its own or with a simple side. It reheats easily and works well for leftovers during the week.

Make this creamy polenta with mushrooms

This creamy polenta is topped with mushrooms, kale, and chickpeas for a warm, high-protein meal. It’s a wholesome dish that works well for lunch or dinner and reheats easily.

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Duration40 minutes mins

Servings4

Ingredients

For the vegetables

• 10 ounces mushrooms any variety or a combination of different types, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 large red onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 5 cups chopped kale tough stems removed
• 1½ cups diced tomatoes
• 1½ cups cooked or 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium or no-salt-added chickpeas
• Drained 1 cup low-sodium or no-salt added vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the polenta

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup cornmeal

Instructions

• Heat 2–3 tablespoons water in a large skillet. Add mushrooms, garlic, and onion and water-sauté 5 minutes at medium heat or until onions are tender and mushrooms have cooked down.
• Add balsamic vinegar and simmer for an additional minute. Add kale and continue cooking until kale has softened.
• Add tomatoes, chickpeas, vegetable broth, thyme, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, breaking up some of the chickpeas and tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
• To prepare polenta, bring water to a boil over high heat, then slowly whisk in cornmeal. When all the cornmeal is added, reduce heat to a very low simmer, cover, and continue cooking until the polenta is smooth and thick, about 10–20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Serve polenta topped with kale and chickpea mixture.

Excerpted from pg. 162 Eat to Live Cookbook by Joel Fuhrman reprinted with permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2013.

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