Polenta, also known as Italian cornmeal, is making a new name for itself in the healthy vegetarian world- French fries. One day, while shopping at Trader Joe’s, I saw this tube of organic polenta. I thought it was strange because I had only seen it in the dry, grain form. I purchased this tube of polenta, hoping to come up with a healthy, vegan recipe. I usually see recipes for Polenta Fries with Parmesan cheese, which is fine. But as I’ve mentioned before, I try to steer clear of cheese. In my version of polenta fries, I use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan. These are also baked not fried. I found that the polenta itself was rather bland. There is some sodium content, but very little. So don’t be afraid to use sea salt on these. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 (18-ounce) tube polenta, halved & cut into 1-inch thick fries
- ¼ cup plain bread crumb
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or a garlic-herb blend)
- 1 tsp salt & pepper, or to taste
- 2 tsp dried parsley, optional
- Cooking spray, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a small mixing bowl, add breadcrumb, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Gently toss the cut polenta into the breadcrumb mixture.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the polenta fries down, leaving a little space between each one. Spray the top of the polenta with olive oil or cooking spray, if desired.
- Bake fries for 20 minutes. Gently turn to brown the other side. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until crisp and golden-brown. Once done, add salt to bring out a more seasoned flavor.
Serving Suggestion
- Enjoy with a big ol’ salad.
- Substitute these polenta fries with traditional french fries.
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