Sometimes I struggle with what is blog-worthy food and what isn’t. As anyone with food sensitivities knows, we cook a lot. Most of my dinners aren’t really recipes, as most weeknights, I make recipes up based on “what’s in the house” and “what can I make before I starve?”
This is really one of those dinners, but I was able to plate it up nicely. It took less than 20 minutes to make, used only one pan, a cutting board, and a few utensils, and is made up of food that I generally have in the house.
I always forget about polenta — a naturally gluten-free food (obviously not safe for the corn sensitive!), that some of us can buy prepared in shelf-stable tubes. Polenta is an excellent way to fill a biscuit-type craving. It isn’t a biscuit, no. But it’s great texture for a bread craving. I cooked a pan of bacon, first, crisped and warmed the polenta in a bit of the fat, and then quickly wilted some garlic and spinach over the top. This is the type of quick and satisfying meal I want after a busy work day. I hope you enjoy it, too.
(If you cannot eat regular polenta, made of corn, consider making a savory version of millet polenta. Our sweet breakfast version of millet polenta can be modified by leaving out the sugar and fruit.)
- 6 strips bacon
- 1 tube polenta, sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices
- 10 cups spinach roughly chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons garlic minced
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the bacon.
- While the bacon is cooking, wash and drain the spinach. Open the polenta and slice it. Chop the spinach and garlic.
- When the bacon is done, remove it to drain on a paper towel-covered plate. Drain most of the rendered fat, leaving a thin skim of bacon grease to cook the rest of dinner.
- Lay polenta slices in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, then remove to the serving dish.
- Add the garlic to the hot pan, stirring, and when it becomes fragrant (1-2 minutes) add the spinach and stir until wilted.
- Top each polenta slice with a slice of bacon (I broke mine in half, but also consider crumbling the slices if you've made them crispy). Top with a good solid mound of spinach, and enjoy your dinner.
I'm pretty sure this would work with most greens, but I have spinach on hand more often than any other green, plus it cooks quickly.
I do try to limit the amount of corn I eat, but this sounds like a great combination that I don’t think I’ll pass up on!
Thanks! I do think it would go well with a homemade polenta using a different grain (I’ve only tried with millet), but that does knock out the convenience factor.