A hearty mix of cauliflower and chickpeas is simmered up in smoky, spicy sauce and served over creamy polenta to make these scrumptious and comforting vegan bowls.
It's been a while since I posted a polenta bowl recipe. I never realized I had such a thing for polenta bowls, but they tend to make frequent appearances on this site, and I guess it's been a while. Relatively speaking anyhow.
I got a craving recently and decided it was about time for more polenta. It is winter after all, and what better meal to enjoy than a piping hot bowl of stewy goodness over some creamy grits.
So, let's talk about these bowls! The polenta part is pretty simple — I generally stick with my trusted formula of dried polenta cooked in a mix of broth and non-dairy milk. That gives the polenta a nice balance between savory flavor and creamy texture. I bet the stew portion of this recipe would be excellent over some pan-fried polenta from a tube though, so if you want to give that a try, go for it and let me know how it turns out.
For the stew portion of the dish I was going for something hearty and flavorful. You can't go wrong with cauliflower and chickpeas when you're looking for hearty, so that's what I picked.
The sauce is where all the flavor comes in. Roasted red peppers and fire roasted tomatoes are key! You get lots of smoky flavor by using them. And then I spiced the stew with some paprika, cumin and a little bit of cayenne for heat. What was I going for here? Moroccan-ish? I'm not really sure, but in any event the flavors are delicious together: smoky and savory with just the right kick.
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower & Chickpea Creamy Polenta Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 large crown)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons organic granulated sugar
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper to taste
For the Polenta
- 1 cup polenta grits
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- Salt to taste
Instructions
To Make the Stew
- Place the red peppers and tomatoes into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
- Add the red pepper-tomato mixture to the pot, along with the cauliflower, water, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and sugar. Give everything a stir to incorporate, then raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer until the sauce thickens up a bit and the cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add more water to the pot if needed while the stew simmers. Make the polenta (instructions below) while the stew simmers.
- Stir in the chickpeas and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, just until heated throughout. Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Taste test and add more to your liking, along with black pepper to taste.
To Make the Polenta
- While the stew simmers, stir together the polenta, milk, 2 cups of broth, and milk into a medium saucepan. Place it over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally. Add up to 1 additional cup of broth during cooking if the mixture becomes too thick.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Taste-test and season with salt to taste.
To Serve
- Divide the polenta among bowls and top with the stew. Serve.
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I found this recipe while searching up other ways to use up my stone-ground corn grits. Before I try this recipe with them, I would love to know your recommendations regarding cooking time, simply since making creamy grits usually takes me closer to 30 minutes rather than the 10 suggested. Would you suggest I try out the 10 or go by how they feel and adjust as necessary? TIA!!
I'd definitely adjust as needed. I think grits generally take longer than polenta, so it'll probably end up being closer to 30. Enjoy!!
Hi, I have a question. I just bought everything to make this recipe but all I saw at the store were polenta “logs.” Can I use them to make the recipe? I was reading up on polenta grits and it’s made with yellow cornmeal, yes? So should I buy coarse ground cornmeal and make like I’m making grits? Sorry. I’m clueless. Please help. Thanks!!
Hi Ivy! The logs are basically creamy polenta that's been molded and allowed to solidify. You can't get them creamy again as far as I know, but you could slice them up, pan fry them, then serve the cauliflower stew over the slices. This recipe has instructions on how to pan-fry polenta if you'd like to try it: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-polenta-puttanesca/ You could also use coarse ground cornmeal to make creamy polenta, but I find it comes out a lot better if you use polenta grits (Bob's Red Mill makes them and you can buy them on Amazon). If you'd like to try it with cornmeal anyway, check out the instructions in this recipe: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/wild-mushroom-ragu-creamy-polenta/ I hope that helps! Enjoy!!
Thank you so much, Alissa. My local grocery store carries Bob’s Red Mill “yellow corn grits also known as polenta,” so I’m betting that’s the right item. I used to buy the log all the time when I first went vegan but haven’t bought it in years. I checked the store app when I was doing my shopping yesterday, but of course it didn’t come up. Not until I just checked under Bob’s Red Mill did I find it. I love Bob’s products! :)
Thanks for this recipe! I'm home from my first semester of college and had really been craving this interesting chickpea/polenta dish they had at the dining hall-- it was driving me CRAZY not being able to find a recipe for something so specific, but thankfully I finally found your page! It was delicious, and I'll definitely be making it again :)
This was amazing! The hibs wouldn't even try it... I'm ok with that, all the leftovers for me!
Glad you enjoyed it!!
This is just what I need--yummy ideas for things that are easy& quick to make. Thank you! I'll try this soon. I make polenta pretty much every week (I eat it for breakfast a lot), and I love topping it with stew-y stuff like this. Also, regarding polenta creaminess: I usually use all water to cook it, but if I have some on hand, I stir in about .25 cup of cashew cream at the end. Makes it super creamy.
Oh yum!! I'll have to try adding cashew cream now - sounds delicious! I hope you enjoy this!
Hi there!
Sorry I have been mistaken. I just left a post saying I thought it was the fired tomatoes giving the dish too much heat. I put in a tiny dash of this new hot sauce I bought and had no idea how hat it really was. I just realized it was the hot sauce cause I used I tiny amount in my pasta and it was SO hot. I'm sorry, Please don't ad that post! Otherwise, I love the work you are doing! We have made your mushroom dip a couple of times and LOVE it! I found a ciabatta whole grain baguette that works really well!
Thank you so much!
Haha! No problem! I've had similar mishaps myself! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the recipes and glad you both liked this one. Thanks Connie!
One of my friends hates cauliflower and I once cook your recipe for her, I didn't even bother telling her what is it, and her reaction was priceless! she loves it! who will not love this right, very tasty and creamy plus its healthy Thanks for sharing this one.
That's so awesome to hear!! Thanks Zchiesa!
This sounds delicious! I've tried another of your recipes that you served over polenta and loved it. Yet somehow I always forget to make it. Mush get on the polenta bandwagon!
Thanks Tracy! I go through periods when I forget that I've got polenta in the pantry (which I ALWAYS do), but it's so good and such a nice switch up from pasta!
Just made this last night- finally- and it was delicious!! Enough for two very hungry adults plus enough leftover for lunch. Wouldn't change a thing.
Awesome!! SO glad you enjoyed it!
I am having some friends over later and just made this. It turned out great. Very
Creamy and a great blend of flavors.
Yay!! I'm so glad to hear that!! Thanks Marilyn!