Meatless Mondays: Caprese Polenta Pizza

These days I am constantly running between my master thesis work and my (paid) work. I should really get a bike... So when I get home starving, express cooking is the way to go. That, and when even takeaway Chinese costs 20 bucks, there is just no option but to home cook all the time.

So, I am super happy to have found out about polenta. It cooks so quickly and is ready in minutes. This vegetarian version of the polenta pizza I made last week makes a super speedy and colourful dinner!

Caprese polenta pizza

Polenta pizza

125g instant polenta

500mL water

1 bouillon cube

Caprese topping

1 tomato, sliced thinly

2-3 cherry tomatoes, halved, optional

1 bunch of fresh basil leave

½ ball of light mozzarella cheese

1-2 tablespoons of caramelized onion or onion jam

Olive oil to drizzle

Cracked black pepper to taste

Prepare the polenta pizza base. Line a pizza tray with baking paper. In a pot bring the water to the boil and stir in the bouillon cube. Add in the instant polenta. Turn heat down to simmer and stir the mixture until the polenta incorporates all the water. 

Pour the cooked polenta onto the lined pizza pan. Working quickly (use a cake frosting spreader if possible), spread the polenta across the pizza pan until you get a thin base (about 1.5cm thin). Leave to cool and set for about 5-minutes.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread the caramelized onions on top of the polenta pizza base. For the topping, place an arrangement of tomato slices, mozzarella slices and basil leaves alternately, going around the diameter of the pizza base. 

Place halved cherry tomatoes in the middle. Drizzle with olive oil and top with cracked black pepper. Don’t worry too much about salt because the polenta pizza base will already be salty from the bouillon cube. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the base has lightly crisped up. Scatter fresh basil leaves on top just before serving. 

Yum.