Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipe Pesto Green Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and Soft Polenta

Recipe courtesy of Chef Carole Levy, PPMNY Culinary Educator

Polenta is a such a rich and creamy dish and makes a great base for sautéed or grilled veggies, legumes, tofu etc. It is incredible paired with beans and tomatoes as made in this dish. Serves 1 but you can easily increase for several people.

Ingredients

  • 1 pint of mixed cherry tomatoes

  • 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • 2 cups green beans, stem ends removed
  • 1-2 T of pesto
  • ¼ cup polenta
  • 1 cup water
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 T nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

For the tomatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat baking mat.
3. Toss the tomatoes with a small amount of lemon juice, add the sliced garlic, roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
4. Tomatoes will start to release their juices and begin to shrivel. Set aside and cool.

For the green beans

1. Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a boil, and add the beans to cook for 2-3 minutes. (Beans will become bright green.)
2. Drain beans immediately and immerse them in a large bowl of ice water. (Shocking the beans in cold water helps the cooking to stop and beans to retain nutrients.)

For the polenta

1. In a heavy stainless-steel saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
2. Gradually add the polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. (This is important: If you pour in the cornmeal too quickly, lumps may form.)
3. When all the cornmeal has been added, lower the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally to prevent sticking, and scraping the inside of the pot with a rubber spatula to incorporate any cornmeal that does stick. (The polenta will bubble and splurt a bit – be very careful!)
4. If the polenta gets too thick and starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a little warm water. The polenta is done when it’s very thick and creamy, with a texture that’s slightly rough but not gritty.
5. At the end of cooking, add black pepper. If you desire a cheesy flavor, add nutritional yeast.

Assembling

1. Pour soft polenta into a serving bowl.
2. Place tomatoes with all the roasted garlic on top of soft polenta.
3. Toss beans with their pesto and top tomatoes.
4. Serve immediately.