The $10 Food Day #3: Pizza-Style Polenta Recipe
Homemade polenta is super easy and cheap to make at home. When you add some spices and top with marinara sauce, it tastes a lot like homemade pizza.
For some crazy reason, I had never made homemade polenta before. That’s definitely going to change, now that I know how cheap and easy it is to make at home.
I call this dish “pizza-style polenta” because it has a lot of pizza-esque qualities:
- There’s Parmesan cheese in the polenta.
- The dish is topped with marinara sauce.
- You can add additional pizza toppings like sausage, mushrooms or green peppers, if desired.
And the best part? This recipe makes a huge batch. More than you’ll need if you’re feeding a family of four. If you have extra polenta – which you probably will – reheat leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
This easy recipe is a part of my third $10 Food Day series. If you’re sticking to a $10 food budget, this recipe (and this series!) is for you. Here are the rest of the recipes:
- Breakfast: Banana-egg pancakes
- Lunch: Black bean soup with orange-jalapeño salsa
- Snack: Leftover pie crust cookies
The Cost
For polenta:
- Corn grits (polenta) = $.99
- Parmesan cheese = $.75
- Butter = $.27
Cost of polenta: $2.01
For marinara sauce:
- Can of crushed tomatoes = $.99
- Olive oil = $.05
- Spices = $.10
Cost of marinara sauce = $1.14
Total cost of recipe = $3.15
Does your family eat a lot of polenta? I would love to hear your recipe ideas, as polenta is kind of new to me. Please share your ideas below.
Here’s another polenta-based pizza recipe to try: Polenta pizza bites
Pizza-Style Polenta
If desired, top the polenta with sausage, sauteed mushrooms or onions, or another pizza-appropriate topping.
Ingredients
For polenta
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups corn grits (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Garlic powder, to taste
Instructions
- To make polenta: In a large saucepan, heat water and salt on high until boiling. Gradually add corn grits. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until mixture becomes very thick. Remove from heat. Add butter and Parmesan cheese. Place polenta into a greased 9x9-inch round pan. Let set for 10 minutes. Invert pan onto a clean, flat surface to unmold. Cut polenta into individual pieces. Top with marinara sauce.
- To make marinara sauce: Place tomatoes, olive oil, sugar, and garlic powder into a saucepan. Place on stove and turn heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve warm marinara sauce over sliced polenta.
Polenta! Definitely a great choice for budget meals. I love the idea of serving it with a tangy marinara sauce. 🙂