This saucy main dish is rich with the flavors of Sicily and features an herbaceous caponata combined with white beans and served over creamy polenta. Caponata is a sweet, vinegary Sicilian relish packed with fresh tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and plenty of herbs. The recipe gives instructions for porridge-style polenta, but you can also opt for baking the polenta; see the tip below. And if you want to skip the polenta altogether, serve atop a baked spud! Try this dish on a summer night, and keep it in rotation through the fall, when you can pull some caponata out of the freezer and enjoy the fruits of your summer cooking sessions. If you need to prepare the veggie caponata, allow an extra 35 minutes.
Tips
Make-Ahead Baked Polenta: If you prefer the texture or convenience of baked polenta, do the following: After Step 1, spread polenta in a 3-quart baking dish lined with parchment paper; let cool. Cover and refrigerate until firm. When ready to serve, cut polenta into squares or triangles. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 400°F oven 10 to 14 minutes or until heated through. Proceed with Step 2.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
- Caponata Pizza
- Sicilian Rice Balls with Mushrooms and Peas
- Air-Fryer Eggplant Parmezzan with Pasta
- Warm Spiced Eggplant Salad
- 3½ cups unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
- 1¾ cups polenta-style cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 15-oz. cans no-salt-added white beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups)
- 3 cups <a href="https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-sauces-condiments/sicilian-caponata/">Sicilian Caponata</a>
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large saucepan bring milk and 2¼ cups water to boiling. Gradually add polenta while whisking to ensure no lumps form. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 8 to 12 minutes or until soft and creamy, stirring frequently. Stir in salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine beans and Caponata. Heat over medium-low until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Stir basil into bean mixture right before serving, adding water as needed to reach desired consistency. Serve bean mixture over polenta. Garnish with additional basil.
- Stir basil into bean mixture right before serving, adding water as needed to reach desired consistency. Serve bean mixture over polenta. Garnish with additional basil.
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