Tools

Savory Herbed Polenta with Diablo Marinara and Turkey Meatballs

Story Created: Nov 22, 2010 at 12:50 PM CDT

Story Updated: Dec 29, 2010 at 11:50 AM CDT

By Scott Koeneman / Fight theFatFoodie.com

I first tried out polenta on Nancy and Quinn awhile ago. I liked it, but got one of those "it's okay" responses from Nancy and Quinn. I gave them creamy polenta, firm polenta, baked polenta, the same response. So, I put it aside and moved on. Recently, I felt the need to try again and started reading.

This version got a much different response! Inspired by Alton Brown, it was savory, filled with homemade stock, garlic, onion, rosemary and thyme. I topped it with my Diablo Marinara and some lean turkey meatballs. All three just popped! And polenta is so wonderfully filling that a little goes a very long way. The polenta worked out to be 144 calories with 3 grams of fat and 2 of fiber while a serving of the meatballs (2 or 3) worked out to be 137 calories, 3 grams of fat and no fiber, according to NutritionData.com.

Let's eat!

Savory Herbed Polenta
Makes 8 1/2-cup serving
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken stock (try making your own, it's so much better)
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1-1/4 cups coarse ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons light butter
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 ounces Parmesan, grated

Directions:
In a large, oven-safe saucepan or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and saute until just translucent. Reduce heat to low and add the garlic, saute an additional 1-2 minutes.

Increase heat to high, add the stock, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cover and place in the oven. Cook 35-40 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure it doesn't get lumpy.

When it is creamy, remove and add butter. Once the butter is mixed in, slowly stir in Parmesan.

Turkey Meatballs
Makes 8 servings of 2-3 meatballs each
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons low-salt ketchup
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Pecorino
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey breast


Combine onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix in turkey and put together meatballs, about the size of a ping-pong ball.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add meatballs. Cook until browned, about five minutes a side.

Top 1/2 cup of polenta with 1/2 cup of marinara and 2-3 meatballs. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and Parmesan.

Southwest Chili Turkey Burger

Italian Kale and Potato Soup

Mushroom-Turkey Roulade with Cranberry Sauce
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Weather

Icon
53.0 F (11.7 C)
Partly Cloudy
Pressure : 1025.4 mb
Humidity : 59 %
Wind : East at 9.2 MPH (8 KT)
More Weather

What's on FOX Illinois Full Schedule

4:00
Storm Stories
4:30
Paid Program
5:00
Paid Program
5:30
This Old House
6:00
Paid Program
Full Schedule