Parmesan Garlic Polenta Croutons

Parmesan Garlic Polenta Croutons are made with polenta and Parmesan cheese, coated with garlic and herbs, and baked until crispy. Great on top of soups and salads!

As promised, here is the recipe for the Parmesan Garlic Polenta Croutons. Now I thought these would be great in the Roasted Tomato Soup, particularly because one of my favorite Panera soups, Creamy Tomato, is served with Asiago Cheese Croutons. The only problem is that when I put these polenta croutons in the soup, they softened pretty quickly and became mushy. So, we decided to either put them in one at a time, or to dip them in the soup, and that was delicious.

I recently had a salad at a restaurant with Jalapeno Polenta Croutons, which were deep fried, and those were good too. There’s a lot of possibilities here – I’ve even seen someone on Food Network make polenta with chicken broth instead of water, which I’m sure would be great.

The thickness of the croutons depends on how much polenta you use and how big your pan is, so you can always adjust that depending on how you like the croutons. This isn’t an exact recipe, so use you judgement. I noted about how much of each ingredient I used. My garlic salt got a little toasty, as you can see in the picture, but the great thing about these is that you can season them anyway you want!

Gluten Free Polenta Croutons

Use gluten free instant polenta

Looking for More Salads and Soups?

Check out these salad and soup recipes:
Roasted Tomato Soup – Panera Copycat
Panera Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad
Leek and Potato Soup
Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup
Simplified Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Caesar Salad
Chicken Sonoma Stew
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Homemade Turkey Soup
Black Bean Soup

Parmesan Garlic Polenta Croutons

Meghan

Parmesan Garlic Polenta Croutons are made with polenta and Parmesan cheese, coated with garlic and herbs, and baked until crispy. Great on top of soups and salads!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Set Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup instant polenta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Herbs to taste (rosemary, thyme, etc)
• olive oil for drizzling
• garlic powder or salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare instant polenta according to package directions, using a whisk.
• Add in herbs, if using, and grated Parmesan cheese.
• Coat a 7×11-inch baking sheet or pyrex/ceramic dish with cooking spray. Pour the polenta mixture into the pan quickly, and spread evenly with a spatula. Place pan in refrigerator to cool and set for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut the polenta into squares or triangles.
• Drizzle both sides of polenta pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder/salt. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until crispy, turning half-way through to make sure they get crispy on both sides. Cool on a rack when done.
• Best if used the same day, but you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them until crisp the next day.

Notes

Source: Adapted from Proud Italian Cook

You’re Gonna Bake It After All

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Keyword gluten free, salad