I think I’ve said in previous posts that my mother-in-law recently discovered she was gluten intolerant (when she decided to become a vegetarian a year ago) . Her diet has changed drastically but we try to keep her palate happy. Here’s a gluten-free dish that doesn’t leave her missing bread or pasta. I pan-fried pre-cooked polenta medallions and used them as a substitute for the burger buns. I topped them with melted provolone cheese, sautéed baby spinach and soyrizo (you can replace with real meat).
I served the polenta burgers with steamed vegetables, so we had a delicious light meal that fit everyone’s diet in our home. My mother-in-law has been adjusting to her new diet very well these days, although I have to admit it was so cute but kind of sad catching her smelling and “hugging” freshly-baked loaves of bread in the kitchen over the weekend.
***The photo was taken with my phone.
1. Info for Polenta Burger Recipe
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Servings: 8
- Calories: 348 kcal
2. Ingredients for Polenta Burger Recipe
- 2 (18-ounce) packages pre-cooked polenta log, store-bought
- 10 ounces soyrizo, crumbled
- Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup baby spinach, about ¼” thick
- 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, freshly ground
3. Directions:
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Season with salt and peppper and set on the side. Repeat the same procedure for the soyrizo
- For the polenta: Cut the polenta into ½-inch thick slices. Brush them with olive oil. Season with salt. Set aside.
- Using a 2¾” metal circle cutter, form 8 provolone cheese disks.
- Wipe clean the same pan, brush with more olive oil. Pan-fry the polenta slices. Once golden on both side, lower the heat and top with the cheese rounds. Let the cheese get all melty.
- On an individual serving plate, stack 1 polenta slice, spread a little mustard. Cover with soyrizo, spinach and place another polenta slice on top. Repeat until the rest of the ingredients are used.
- Serve warm.
- Bon appétit!