Vegan Polenta Omelette Recipe

Creamy polenta with mushrooms: a comforting, easy (yet sophisticated!) vegan and gluten free dinner favorite. Pan-roasted white wine and herbed mushrooms are the perfect vegetarian topping for a bed of creamy polenta. Plus, it only takes just over 30 minutes to make!

I've been making some variation of this simple polenta with mushrooms for a few years now. It's one of my all-time favorite easy weeknight dinners, and it's definitely my #1 use for polenta!

Polenta is so underrated. It's easy to make (easier than rice, in my opinion!) and so versatile. You can use it as a base for vegan bolognese, serve alongside grilled tofu kebabs, or even make it into polenta fries. (Guys, polenta fries are (so sorry to use this term) LIT. Especially with this homemade tomato sauce.)

Minute 'cheesy' Vegan Polenta For Breakfast, Lunch Or Dinner –

The single most important thing is to make sure you're cooking the polenta long enough. When the polenta first starts cooking, it soaks up liquid relatively quickly (within a few minutes), unlike other grains that take a bit longer.

To start, bring the water to a boil before adding the polenta. I add 1-2 teaspoons of salt to the water. I find this is a better way to season the polenta instead of adding it at the end.

You may still need to add more salt once it's finished cooking; just taste and adjust as desired. I always find that I need more salt than I think.

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Once the water is boiling, start whisking while slowly pouring in the polenta. Continue whisking for a minute or two to break up any clumps, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping down the sides.

After 30 minutes, taste the polenta to test doneness. It should be tender and creamy. Once it's finished cooking, stir in vegan or regular butter, vegan or regular parmesan cheese, more salt and pepper to taste. That's it!

You could also sub olive oil for butter. While parmesan is my favorite cheese to pair with polenta, you could also opt for goat cheese, cheddar or another cheese. Optionally, you can also stir in up to a quarter cup of heavy cream (or vegan sub) for extra creamy, rich polenta.

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If you have leftover polenta, store in sealed container in the fridge. To reheat, heat over low on the stovetop and stir in more water until it reaches desired consistency.

Just about any kind of mushrooms works well in this recipe. We most often use shiitake or baby bella mushrooms (or a mix of the two), since they're most readily available at the grocery store.

However, if you have access to a wider variety of wild mushrooms, this is the perfect use for them! Pan seared wild mushrooms are the BEST. One of my favorite side dishes, especially when they're deglazed in some white wine, butter and herbs.

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A few of our favorite wild mushrooms include chanterelles, shiitakes, oysters, enoki, trumpet mushrooms and maitakes (aka hen-of-the-wood mushrooms). Any mix of the above would taste great, or just stick to one or two.

Instead of fully rinsing your mushrooms (which adds a ton of moisture to the mushrooms, making them soggy and difficult to sear), use a damp paper towel to brush off any dirt. It takes a bit longer, but it's worth it for the perfect sear!

Start by adding your mushrooms to a hot pan without any oil or salt. Let them cook down for 5-10 minutes until they start to release moisture. You can either pour the liquid out of the pan, or crank up the heat and let it evaporate.

Creamy Polenta With Mushrooms

Once the moisture has been mostly removed, you can add oil or butter, salt and white wine to deglaze. Cook down until the mushrooms start to get crispy. You can always add more wine to deglaze – you really can't add to much!

Wait to add in fresh herbs and any other seasonings (more salt and pepper) until mushrooms are finished cooking. This helps preserve the freshness of the herbs, which perfectly complement the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Top your perfectly creamy polenta with your crispy, flavorful, pan-seared mushrooms, garnish with more herbs, cheese and olive oil and you're good to go!

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If you make this creamy vegan polenta with mushrooms, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations onInstagram– tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

To clean mushrooms, use a damp paper towel to gently remove dirt. Avoid submerging them completely in water, otherwise it will be much harder to make them crispy. 

If you have leftover polenta, store in sealed container in the fridge. To reheat, heat over low on the stovetop and stir in more water until it reaches desired consistency. Have you tried polenta? I absolutely love the stuff! I love its texture and versatility. Plus it’s super cheap, so perfect for budget-friendly meals.

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Since I’m such a fan of polenta, I was really excited to see it featured in the January/February Issue of Vegan Life magazine ♥

‘Cornmeal’ and ‘polenta’ are often used interchangeably; however for baked or fried polenta, you need to make sure you use ‘coarse’ cornmeal. A couple of times I’ve attempted to make polenta fries with fine cornmeal, but sadly it was a big fail. The mixture wasn’t sturdy enough to keep its shape and I ended up with a tray of baked goo (tasty goo at that!)

Check out the difference between ‘coarse’ and ‘fine’ cornmeal in the picture below. The ‘fine’ has a similar consistency to flour (I use it to bake cornbread).

Vegan Polenta With Mushrooms And Beans

Learning from experience, I now always make sure I use ‘coarse’ polenta/ cornmeal for baking or frying. In the UK, it’s available in Holland & Barrett and independent health food stores.

I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve made it multiple times. It is so delicious! It’s been a huge hit with the family.

It’s incredibly easy to make. It’s simply a case of whisking the ingredients together over a gentle heat, scooping them into a square pan, refrigerating until solid, then slicing and pan frying.

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For lunches, we’ve served the Seared Polenta with a side salad of colourful leaves, a sprinkling of hemp seeds, pine nuts and a dollop of roasted tomato hummus.

If you haven’t made polenta before, you definitely should give it a try! And if you do so, please post your creations and tag me #. I’d love to see them!

This recipe is lightly adapted from the Seared Polenta fromStraight from the Earth by Myra & Marea Goodman, published in Vegan Life Issue 12We love to serve it with a Quick Ratatouille.

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Grease a 20cm / 8 inch square baking pan or line with non stick baking paper (lining makes it easy to lift out).

Combine the milk, water, olive oil, oregano, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low to avoid splattering (on my electric hob, I reduce the heat to ‘2’). Cook for 15 minutes, stirringregularly to avoid it sticking).

Transfer the polenta to the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Cool for about 20 minutes, then transfer to the fridge and chill until solid (about one hour; but can be left overnight).

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Once solid, slice the polenta into eight triangles using a sharp knife. To do this, first slice the polenta into four equal squares, then slice each square diagonally to create two triangles.

When ready to fry, place a large frying pan (skillet) over medium-high heat and add a thin layer of oil. (If you have two frying pans, use both to halve the cooking time).

Sprinkle flour onto a plate and coat both sides of the polenta triangle. Add them to the hot pan and fry for about 5 minutes, until golden brown on the underside. Flip over using a slotted turner and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Transfer the cooked polenta to a paper-towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Season adult portions with black pepper before serving.

Veggie Stuffed Vegan Omelet

– Tomato sauce with Mediterranean chargrilled vegetables – simmer a can of organic chopped tomatoes, couple of handfuls of frozen Mediterranean chargrilled vegetables, 2 TBSP of sun-dried tomato paste or pesto, 1 tsp sugar for about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add a sprinkling of nutritional yeast before serving.

– Big pile of colourful salad leaves, sprinkling of shelled hemp seeds and a big dollop of roasted tomato or red pepper hummus.

Big thank you to Myra & Marea Goodman and Vegan Life for sharing this delicious recipe. I know I’ll be making it time and again.

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