Best Kale Polenta Recipes

CREAMY VEGAN POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND KALE

Steps:

• Make the polenta: Bring 6 cups vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta, then turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the polenta has thickened to your liking, 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the butter and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with salt and black pepper; cover and set aside.
• Prepare the mushrooms: While the polenta simmers, heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, and add the mushrooms and rosemary to the skillet. Cook, tossing occasionally and adding a splash of olive oil if the pan looks dry, until the mushrooms have released their water and are tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. (Be careful not to let the garlic burn.) Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring to incorporate, until it turns a rusty brown color and begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the red wine and cook, stirring and scraping the brown bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half.
• Add the 1 cup vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Begin adding handfuls of kale, cooking and stirring until the kale wilts. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid in the pan reduces and thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat the polenta over medium-low, adding a splash of broth to loosen it if necessary. Serve the polenta and braised mushrooms and kale in shallow bowls, sprinkled with parsley.

PAN-FRIED POLENTA WITH CORN, KALE AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute; don't let the garlic brown. Add 3 cups of the water, and bring it to a boil.
• While the water heats, whisk together in a bowl the cornmeal, salt, and 1 cup water to make a smooth mixture.
• When the water in the saucepan comes to a boil, pour the mixture into it. Whisk constantly for 3 minutes to prevent lumps from forming. Turn the heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and cook the polenta 5 minutes more. Stir in the pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 8x8 inch pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Chill the polenta in a refrigerator for 1 hour.
• While the polenta is cooling, cut away the stems and center stalks of the kale. Cut the leaves into 3-inch pieces.
• Cut the chilled polenta into 4 large triangles. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the polenta triangles. Fry the polenta until it is golden brown on the underside, then turn the polenta over and cook it until it is golden brown on the other side. Arrange the polenta on a baking sheet.
• Preheat the broiler on your oven.
• Place the kale and 1/3 cup water into the skillet that was just used to fry the polenta. Cover the skillet and cook the kale over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
• Place the tomato slices on top of the polenta triangles. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top of the tomato slices. Broil the polenta until the cheese melts and the tomatoes begin to cook.
• Arrange the kale on a serving platter. Place the hot polenta triangles on top of the kale and serve immediately.

KALE AND MUSHROOMS WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.
• Bring milk, water, polenta, salt, and pepper to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels. Add mushrooms and 2 tablespoons oil to drippings in skillet. Sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in kale and pancetta. Add garlic and broth; simmer until broth is slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme, lemon peel, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Whisk butter and Parmesan into polenta and divide among plates. Top with kale mixture.

POLENTA LASAGNA WITH FETA AND KALE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high flame. Sauté onions and rosemary until the onions begin to brown. Add garlic and carrots. Sauté until garlic fragrances the oil, about 2 minutes. Add kale and sauté until tender, then remove pan from heat.
• Grease the bottom and sides of a 8x8-inch baking dish. Cut polenta into slices no thicker than 1/4 inch. Line the bottom of the pan with 1/2 of the polenta slices, overlapping them slightly to cover the whole bottom of the pan.
• Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the polenta and spread it evenly. Distribute mashed feta cheese over the marinara sauce. Scatter olives over the feta, then top with an even layer of the kale mixture. Place the remaining polenta slices in a layer, overlapping slightly. Spread remaining 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Sprinkle shredded pecorino evenly across the top.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the top layer of cheese is beginning to brown around the edges. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving (use a spatula).

POLENTA WITH KALE AND PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS (RACHAEL RAY)

Steps:

• Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. In a heavy, medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat (you may want to sub out water/salt for vegetable broth). Add the polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
• Lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thick, 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water, then add the kale in batches, allowing each batch to wilt slightly before adding the next. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 400°. Top the polenta with the kale mixture. Spoon the cream sauce evenly over the kale mixture and top with the provolone. Bake until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Increase the temperature to 450° and bake until golden, about 5 minutes.

STINKY POLENTA, ROAST CHICKEN, CRISPY KALE, RED WINE BALSAMIC DEMI

Steps:

• For the roast chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Put a cast-iron pan over high heat until hot. Coat the pan with olive oil, add the chicken skin-side down and cook until the skin is crispy, about 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet fitted with a rack. Roast until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes depending on size.
• For the red wine balsamic demi: In a saucepan over high heat, add a little olive oil. Add the thyme, bay leaves, carrots, celery and onions and sweat the vegetables about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine, then add the balsamic and dark chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste and reduce to a simmer. Add the sugar and simmer to reduce the sauce to a glaze consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and reserve.
• For the stinky polenta: Bring the dark chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Using a whisk, slowly incorporate the polenta into the stock, stirring vigorously. When fully incorporated, lower the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring frequently to make sure the polenta doesn't burn, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• For the crispy kale: Pour enough canola oil into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan to come about a third of the way up. Heat the oil until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 325 degrees F.
• Add the julienned kale to the oil and fry about 2 minutes; the kale should still be very green and crisp, not brown at all. Drain on paper towels and set aside for garnish.
• To finish the polenta: Add the butter, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mascarpone and additional water or the chicken cooking juices if needed. Finish with the white truffle oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
• To plate, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the glaze into 5 wide bowls. Put some polenta on top. Slice each chicken breast and put on top of the polenta. Garnish with crispy kale and serve.

KALE POLENTA

Steps:

• Combine 7 cups of water and the salt in a medium pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Gradually add the polenta, whisking as you pour. Keep whisking until the polenta starts to thicken and looks like it's one with the water, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low (the polenta should steam and tremble, but only rarely erupt with bubbles) and cook, stirring every now and again, until the polenta is tender but still coarse in texture, about 45 minutes.
• Stir in the olive oil, kale puree, and most of the Parmesan and keep cooking, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes more. Take the pot off the heat and fold in 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone (it's nice to run into a little pocket of mascarpone, so don't stir too much). Top with the remaining mascarpone and Parmesan, and as much black pepper as you'd like.
• Put 4 of the garlic cloves in a medium pot, fill it with water, cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add enough kosher salt so that the water tastes slightly salty and add the kale, prodding to submerge it. Cook uncovered until the kale is tender and tears easily, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Fish out the boiled garlic cloves from the pot and reserve them. Drain the kale in a colander and when it's cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as you can. Roughly chop the kale, the boiled garlic, and the raw garlic.
• Combine the kale, garlic, and Maldon salt in a food processor. Process, stopping occasionally to prod and stir, for about 45 seconds, then add the oil and process, stirring once or twice, to a fairly smooth puree. Whenever I make this at one of my restaurants, I use a Vita-prep to make the puree silky smooth, but I like a slightly coarse puree too.
• The puree keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH KALE AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the pancetta, fennel pollen and garlic in a small bowl. Cut 18 to 20 slits (2 inches deep) in the pork roast. Alternately fill the slits with the pancetta mixture and a piece of rosemary. Sprinkle the pork liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Douse the pork with the wine and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 165 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the kale. Bring the stock and milk to a low boil in another pot for the polenta. Cook the kale for 7 to 8 minutes, then remove to a platter using tongs. Drizzle with EVOO and lemon juice and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Whisk the polenta into the stock mixture and cook, whisking, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter and then the cheese, and remove from the heat. Slice the pork and serve with the polenta and kale. Cook's Note: The roasted pork can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bring to room temperature, then reheat in a 325 degree F oven, covered, for 15 minutes, adding 1 cup chicken stock to the pot to keep it moist. Uncover and heat for 15 to 20 minutes more. You can prep the kale ahead of time and store it in a paper towel-lined plastic bag in the refrigerator.

KALE WITH TOMATO AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Remove the center stem from the kale and discard. Wash and chop kale leaves and set aside. If you don't know how to remove the stems from kale, Google: remove kale stems.
• Prepare garlic and mushrooms.
• Coat large non-stick covered frying pan or dutch oven (at least 5 quarts) with oil. Add garlic, mushrooms and pepper flakes.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking until mushrooms start to soften.
• Add tomatoes and raisins and heat through.
• Add as much kale as will fit in the pan and small amount of water if needed. Cover and cook until wilted and soft. Continue adding kale, stirring frequently, until it is all in the pan, adding small amounts of water if needed to prevent sticking.
• Cover and turn heat very low to keep warm.
• Mix corn meal with broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Continue to stir until polenta thickens and begins to pull away from pot.
• Serve kale mixture on top of polenta.

SOFT POLENTA WITH ROAST SQUASH, KALE & HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Boil the kettle, put the shallots in a bowl, pour over kettle-hot water and set aside for 10 mins. This will make them much easier to peel. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Once cooled a little, drain and peel the shallots, and halve any large ones. In a large roasting tin, toss the shallots and squash with 1 tbsp oil and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins.
• Add the thyme, garlic, chilli, nutmeg, kale, lemon zest and hazelnuts to the roasting tin. Season and toss with the remaining oil. Return to the oven for another 15 mins.
• While the vegetables are roasting, bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. Pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking continuously. Cook for 2-3 mins, then add the milk, season well and stir in the cheese. The polenta should have the consistency of loose mashed potato. Keep warm until ready to serve - the polenta will form a skin and thicken if left for too long, so cover with a piece of baking parchment, and stir in some extra milk if you need to.
• To serve, pour the warm polenta onto a large serving platter and top with the roasted veg. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and finish with some parmesan shavings.

POLENTA WITH WHITE BEANS & BLACK KALE

Steps:

• To cook the beans: Drain the soaked beans and put them in the pot with fresh cold water covering them by an inch or so; add the bay leaves and olive oil. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to keep the liquid simmering steadily, and cook, partially covered, about 40 minutes or until the beans are just cooked through, but not mushy. Turn off the heat, stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, and let the beans cool for a while in the pot, absorbing some of the cooking liquid.
• To cook the polenta: Pour the water and olive oil into the heavy pot, drop in the salt and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Pick up the polenta by handfuls and let it rain into the water through your fingers, whisking steadily with a sturdy wire whisk, until it is all incorporated. Return the polenta to a boil over medium heat, still whisking. When big bubbles start bursting, lower the heat to keep the polenta perking, and set the cover ajar on the pot. Stir frequently with the whisk or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot as the cereal thickens. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the polenta is glossy and pulls away from the sides as you stir; for this dish it should be soft, not too firm. Turn off the heat and cover the pot to keep the polenta hot.
• To cook the kale: Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the skillet, set it over medium heat, and scatter in the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, as the bacon sizzles and renders most of its fat, 4 or 5 minutes. Pile the shredded kale in the pan, sprinkle the salt over it, put on the cover, and cook, tossing the kale a couple of times, until the shreds have wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Uncover the skillet, and stir in the cooked cannellini, along with about a cup (not all) of the bean cooking liquid and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or more, until the kale is tender. Stir in more bean liquid as needed to keep the greens and beans from drying.
• When the kale and beans are ready, stir half of the shredded fontina into the hot polenta. Spoon portions of polenta into warm shallow bowls, then top each with kale and beans and a sprinkling of fontina. Serve right away, while very hot.

ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH KALE AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Combine the pancetta, fennel pollen and garlic in a small bowl.
• Cut 18 to 20 slits (2 inches deep) in the pork roast. Alternately fill the slits with the pancetta mixture and a piece of rosemary. Sprinkle the pork liberally with salt and pepper.
• Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Douse the pork with the wine and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 165 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the kale. Bring the stock and milk to a low boil in another pot for the polenta. Cook the kale for 7 to 8 minutes, then remove to a platter using tongs. Drizzle with EVOO and lemon juice and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.
• Whisk the polenta into the stock mixture and cook, whisking, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter and then the cheese, and remove from the heat.
• Slice the pork and serve with the polenta and kale.
• Cook's Note: The roasted pork can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bring to room temperature, then reheat in a 325 degree F oven, covered, for 15 minutes, adding 1 cup chicken stock to the pot to keep it moist. Uncover and heat for 15 to 20 minutes more. You can prep the kale ahead of time and store it in a paper towel-lined plastic bag in the refrigerator.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• Bring 2 1/2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the kale and boil until it is just tender, 5-6 minutes. With tongs or a wire-mesh scoop, lift the kale out of the boiling water and into a sieve or colander. Shock the kale under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain and squeeze dry. Chop medium fine. Measure 4-5 cups of the cooking liquid into a clean saucepan. (Use 4 cups if you like thick polenta, 5 cups if you like it more creamy.) Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the polenta gradually, whisking constantly. Lower the heat to medium and cook, whisking often, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes, then switch to a wooden spoon. Adjust heat to maintain a steady bubble and cook, stirring often, until polenta is smooth and no longer grainy, about 45 minutes. Add chopped kale during the final 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat. Add garlic and saute until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir garlic and oil into polenta and cook for about 2 minutes to diffuse the flavor. Pour the polenta onto a wooden board or a large shallow platter. Let cool for 5-10 minutes to allow the polenta to set up. Sprinkle with grated cheese to taste.