This pan crisped polenta recipe is a fantastic way to enjoy italian cuisine without all the calories! Polenta is an italian word that is derived from the latin meaning “crushed grain” Crushed it is. The wonderful yellow color of our polenta comes from finely ground cornmeal!
Cook Time: 45 Min. Serves: 2 Calories: 309 Total Fat: 13 grams Protein: 11 grams
Pan crisped Italian polenta served with a lentil based red marinara sauce and fresh basil.
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup lentils
- 120 grams of polenta
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cups store bought marinara sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Begin by dicing up your red onion and fresh garlic clove.
- Cut off only ¼ of the Polenta Roll and then slice into thinner rounds, you should get 4-5 pieces out of this. Use a sharp knife to avoid mis-forming the polenta rounds.
- Heat your extra virgin olive oil in a chef’s pan on medium heat. Once you begin to see some steam add the diced red onion and garlic.
- Cook until the onion turns translucent and the garlic becomes very fragrant, this takes about 3-4 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the mushrooms into quarters and add them to the pan. The mushroom should take an additional 3 minutes to cook.
- You are going to cook/ crisp your polenta rounds in a separate pan or griddle. Make sure to spray the pan or griddle lightly with olive oil and turn on medium high heat before setting the polenta pieces on top to crisp. The polenta will take about 5 minutes of frying on either side.
- In the first pan, add the lentils and marinara sauce and season the mixture lightly with kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Allow the all the ingredients in the sauce to marry for a few minutes in the pan before removing to to dress the polenta. If you have extra time adding a little water or white wine to the marinara and letting the sauce reduce works wonders for the blending of flavors.
- Arrange the crisp polenta pieces on a plate and top them with the Marinara sauce mix.
ENJOY!
Look below for all the nutrition facts as well as a break down of the nutrition for all the ingredients!
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 114 Calories 309
% Daily value
20% Total Fat 13g
17% Saturated Fat 4g
Trans Fat 0g
0% Cholesterol 0mg
74% Sodium 1689mg
14% Total Carbohydrates 41g
45% Dietary Fiber 12g
Sugars 17g
Protein 11g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Diabetic Friendly 
Low Fat
| Ingredient | Linked To Nutritional Value | Cal | Fat | Carb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .5 Cup mushrooms | Mushrooms, fresh, pces/slices | 3.85 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| .25 Cup red onion | Onion, red, fresh, sliced | 5.75 | 0.05 | 1.35 |
| 2 Each garlic | Garlic, cloves, fresh | 4.5 | 0.05 | 1 |
| .5 Cup lentil | Beans, lentils, mature, ckd | 57.45 | 0.2 | 10 |
| 1 Teaspoon extra virgin olive oil | Oil, olive, extra virgin | 21 | 2.35 | 0 |
| 2 Cup marinara | Sauce, pasta, marinara | 180 | 10 | 20 |
| .5 Teaspoon salt | Salt, Kosher, coarse | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| .5 Teaspoon black pepper | Spice, pepper, black, ground | 1.45 | 0.05 | 0.4 |
| Sub Recipe | Cal | Fat | Carb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 Gram Polenta | 35 | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| PER SERVING: | 308.9 | 12.6 | 40.7 |
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