Polenta with White Beans and Spinach

If you like comfort foods or cornbread, you will love polenta. It is an Italian based corn meal, and it offers nice texture and versatility in cooking.

Servings: 4

Serving size: 1 ¼ cup

Prep & cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

1 tomato, diced

¼ cup julienne-cut sundried tomatoes

12 ounces plain prepared polenta (sold in tubes with grains), diced

15 ounces no-salt-added canned great northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

6-9 ounces baby spinach

½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add both types of tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the polenta and beans; cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once. Stir in the Italian seasoning and the spinach, cover and cook for about 4 more minutes until the spinach is wilted. Top with mozzarella cheese and serve immediately.

 Nutrition info (per serving):  245 calories, 7 gms total fat (2.1 gms sat fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 430 mg sodium, 800 mg potassium, 37 gms total carbs (8 gms fiber, 5 gms sugar), 13 gms protein