Breakfast Polenta with Italian Salsa Verde

This breakfast polenta topped garlicky greens, a silky poached egg, and tangy Italian salsa verde is a warm, nourishing and cozy breakfast or brunch recipe. It’s packed with savory goodness and so simple to prepare.

OMG. Breakfast polenta. This is the breakfast that my foodie dreams are made of. Creamy cheesy polenta, garlicky spinach, a perfectly poached egg, and a dollop of Italian salsa verde. Swoon.

I grew up watching Aladdin on repeat and this savory breakfast polenta is totally my whole new world. I contemplated singing the song as I served this to my family but we’ve had enough “Errr…Mom’s gone off the deep end” looks ’round these parts of late, and I didn’t want a single thing distracting them from the magic that I was about to slap on their plates.

I stumbled upon a recipe for Italian salsa verde while re-reading The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. It’s one of her four essential sauces and like every technique she offers, it doesn’t disappoint.

Side note – I forgot how much I love this cookbook. It’s packed with simple recipes and lessons that, once mastered, can be customized in a million different ways to make them your own. Exactly the way I prefer to cook just about everything.

Savory Breakfast Polenta Recipe Notes

Fair warning – breakfast polenta is sort of a pain in the ass to make (i.e. messy – requires several pots and pans) and is therefore not recommended for workday consumption.

On the flip side, it’s a simple dish to master and you will impress anyone you serve it to, including yourself.

If you want to save on a pot, opt for a fried egg instead of a poached one. Just keep that yolk super runny because that’s where the magic happens.

Use any green of your heart’s desire. I’m obsessed with spinach, so that’s what I chose. But you be you. No limits, friends.

I love parmesan in my polenta because salt. Gouda would be terrific here, as well as goat’s cheese or a smoked mozzarella. Ricotta could be interesting. Note to self…

For my salsa verde, I skipped the capers because I didn’t have any, but feel free to add a tablespoon or so. If you do so, you may want to either rinse the capers or reduce the salt. I added red pepper flakes, but you could do without if you’re not a fiery-food-for-breakfast kind of gal or guy. The portion size is generous and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Slather the leftovers on your favorite grilled protein or roasted vegetable.

Breakfast Polenta with Salsa Verde

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This is the breakfast that dreams are made of - creamy polenta, garlicky sauteed greens, a silky poached egg, and tangy salsa verde. This takes a bit of time and several pots, but is simple in technique and easy to master.

Course: Breakfast, Gluten-Free

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Danielle Esposti

Recommended Equipment

• Ramekin
• whisk
• Wood Spoon
• Slotted Spoon

Ingredients

Polenta

• 1 c. coarse yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 c. grated parmesan

Salsa Verde

• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• sea salt, to taste
• cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 c. olive oil

Garlic Greens

• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3-4 c. fresh spinach
• sea salt, to taste
• cracked black pepper, to taste

Poached Eggs

• 2-4 fresh eggs
• 1 tsp white vinegar

Instructions

• Start the polenta. Bring four cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, whisk in the salt and the cornmeal in a steady stream. Whisk until the cornmeal is incorporated and no longer separating from the water. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook 30-40 minutes, whisking occasionally.
• While the polenta is cooking, prepare the remainder of the components. Chop and mince the parsley and garlic and place into a small bowl. Add the lemon zest, the juice of half the lemon, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the olive oil and taste for seasoning. Add more lemon juice or seasoning if desired.
• Prepare the greens. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and sautee until fragrant and barely golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach and sauteed, stirring continuously, until barely wilted, 3-4 minutes.
• Poach your egg(s). Crack an egg into a ramekin. Bring a pot with 5-6 cups of water to barely a simmer and add the vinegar. With a wooden spoon or whisk, stir the simmering water until a small whirlpool forms in the middle of the pot. Tip the egg from the ramekin, whites first, into the center of the whirlpool. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
• Compose your polenta bowl. Remove the polenta from heat once it reaches desired consistency; add cheese and whisk until incorporated. Layer 1/4 of the polenta in a bowl and drizzle with salsa verde. Add 1/4 of the greens and top with a poached egg. Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe can be a little challenging to time just right. A general guideline is to start the spinach once the polenta is half-way done. Cook until the spinach is just barely wilted, then cover and set aside. It will be warm and perfectly cooked once you're ready to compose the dish. Start the boiling water for the poached eggs at the same time you start the spinach, but keep at a simmer until the polenta is 5-7 minutes away from being finished. Once the polenta is nearly done, poach your egg. It only takes a minute or two for the water to come back to simmering so that you can poach a second or third egg. The poached eggs will keep for several minutes resting on a paper towel.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 386kcal (19%)

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