Deep-Dish Polenta Pizza

This is a quick (and really pretty!) meal that is great for weeknights or a nice appetizer for a few friends.  Easily a vegan dish (omit cheese, add more veggies if you desire) and gluten free.  As with any pizza, you can use any vegetables that appeal to you.  We particularly liked red cabbage and sun-dried tomatoes.  Sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil, was reminiscent of pepperoni which we enjoyed.  I highly recommend you use fresh cracked pepper or at least a good quality ground black pepper.  It really made the pizza pop.  Another great combination is garlic-onion-gorgonzola.  In my opinion, you can really never go wrong with a little gorg.  Keep the cheese at a minimum though, you want the polenta and the vegetables to be the star.  Remember, cheese has a ton of saturated fat and cholesterol, so use it sparingly in your diet.

Deep-Dish Polenta Pizza

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan
1 cup polenta (not instant)- I used this one
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Fine sea salt & black pepper
1/2 head red cabbage
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
 4 ounce mozzarella ball, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Heat oven to 400°F.  Oil a 9-inch springform pan or pie plate; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil.  Whisking constantly, slowly add the polenta.  Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 4 to 5 minutes.  Stir in the Parmesan, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Using a spoon, spread the polenta over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

In a bowl, combine cabbage, tomatoes, mozzarella, the remaining Tbsp of oil, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.  Spoon the mixture over the polenta and bake until polenta is crisp around the edges, 25-30 minutes.  Let sit at least 10 minutes before slicing.

We doubled the recipe (except for the cabbage) to make a second pizza for leftovers.

Serves 4
Recipe Courtesy of Real Simple Best Recipes