Recipe: Vegan Baked Polenta Recipe with Tofu Ragout

Step 1

Prepare the veggies. Chop the garlic, onion, and celery into medium to small dice. Also, shred the carrot.

Step 2

Blend. Coarsely blend the walnuts on a food processor or immersion blender.

Step 3

Crumble the tofu with your hands.

Step 4

Stir-fry. In a large saucepan on medium heat, add the oil, and after 15 seconds add the garlic and onion.

Step 5

Stir until golden. As soon as the onion is translucent, add the celery, followed by the walnuts and the tofu.

Step 6

Optionally add wine. If you are using red wine, add it now and stir. It will bring up all the flavors that may be sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Step 7

Carrot and Basil. Add the shredded carrots and fresh basil.

Step 8

Stir in the tomato sauce. Set the heat to medium-low and stir every now and then. Let it cook for 30 minutes.

Step 9

Final seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 10

Dice the vegan mozzarella into medium to large pieces, as they will melt later, and we want to keep some noticeable pieces of cheese. Keep about 6 dice for later.

Step 11

Simmer. Set the vegetable stock to simmer and add a teaspoon of salt. In case you made a fresh stock, strain before using it.

Step 12

Stir in. Start adding the polenta, little by a little while stirring. You should end with a thick, but still manageable paste.

Step 13

Add "cheese". Add the diced vegan mozzarella until it slightly melts. Turn off the heat.

Step 14

Pre-heat the oven at 400ºF (200ºC)

Step 15

Oil a pan. To facilitate the portioning, you can use a rectangle baking tray.

Step 16

Set the first polenta layer, about ½ inch thick (1.5 cm), spreading evenly with a spoon or spatula.

Step 17

Add the vegan ragout as a second layer, followed by the optional pitted green olives.

Step 18

Add the rest of the polenta as the third layer.

Step 19

Top with the remaining mozzarella dice and optionally add some vegan parmesan cheese before baking. It will create a nice golden crust on top.

Step 20

Bake. Now we are ready to bake the polenta in a pre-heated oven for 15-25 minutes. Remember that all the components are already cooked, so we are only aiming to: melt the cheese, achieve a golden top, and make the mix come together as a whole.