Polenta Lunch for One

I woke up starving this morning. After puttering around the house some, I gathered up some things around the kitchen and came up with this simple, fast, and vegetarian lunch. I made a creamy Parmesan polenta with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and wilted arugula. I really enjoyed this lunch and it was so satisfying.

The polenta is so creamy and had a great flavor of the Parmesan. The onions were sweet and the mushrooms were earthy. The arugula was peppery, but not bitter. All of these components came together beautifully and I think this dish is really appealing to the eye, too. Try this recipe... you won't be disappointed and you'll love the flavors. I made it for just myself, but the recipe is written for 2 people.

Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, and Wilted Arugula
Serves 2

For the Polenta:
1/2 cup instant polenta
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper

For the Veggies:
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 medium onion cut into thin slices
fat pinch of sugar
8-10 small mushrooms, cut into slices
a large handfull of arugula
salt and pepper

First, gather the ingredients for the vegetables.

Slice the onion and heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the onions.

Add the sugar and stir everything around. The sugar will add a bit of extra sweetness to the onions. Turn the heat down to low and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Please disregard the look of my pan... it's had a rough life).

While the onions are cooking, slice the mushrooms.

The onions should cook until they are completely soft and have started turning golden.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Stir everything around and turn the heat back up to medium heat. Cook the mushrooms until the mushrooms have released all of their juices and the onions become an even deeper brown color.

While the mushroom and onion mixture is cooking,get the ingredients of the polenta together and put the polenta in a small bowl and heat up the water. You can do this in the microwave, on the stove, or (like I do) with an electric kettle. Electric kettles are the best invention ever! I know I use mine at least once everyday. You literally can have boiling in less than 60 seconds. Sorry, I digress...

Once the water boils, add it directly to the polenta a little at a time, whisking the constantly. Don't add all of the water here, just enough to cook the polenta and until the mixture is stiff.

Add the butter, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything and add more water until the polenta is to your desired consistency. I like mine really creamy. Adjust the seasoning one last time.

 The mushrooms and onions should be finished, and stir everything around and adjust the seasoning.

I love arugula. It is peppery, spicy, crunchy, and Germans seem to be obsessed with this stuff, and now I am too! What's great is that it comes in these little tubs in the grocery store and the leaves are already trimmed and washed. Perfect! If you find that your arugula has long stems, trim those off.

Add the arugula to the pan and turn the heat to low. Stir everything around, making sure that the leaves start to wilt. Don't overcook because they will become bitter (bitter arugula = yuck!). This will not take long: 30 seconds to 1 minute, tops.

Add the polenta to a bowl (I love the color).

Top it with the mushrooms, onions, and arugula and sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

This is a great dish and so versatile. You can use spinach or red onion. Add shrimp or strips of chicken if you want to make this a little heavier.

Try this out... it is so yummy!

Happy Eating!