Start Making Croutons With Your Leftover Polenta

Polenta, the Italian-born, porridge-style food made from ground corn is one of those versatile dishes that defies culinary boundaries and cultural specificity. Polenta it has stood the test of time (dating back to the 1500s) and made its way into kitchens, both at home and in restaurants, to satisfy a number of culinary needs.

While you may have enjoyed some polenta fries or dabbled in fried polenta bites dipped in marinara sauce, you may have yet to try polenta croutons. This ingenious iteration turns the sweet, savory and satisfying polenta into yet another super useful element that can elevate your salads with both flavor and texture, thanks to a crisp exterior and chewy, tender center.

They're easy to make, cost-effective and give you something to do with your leftover polenta. Take out the rest of that tube of pre-made polenta, and in just minutes you can have highly customizable (and bonus — gluten-free) morsels that will bring taste and crunch to your next meal.

Many people use pre-made polenta tubes you find in grocery stores (they are super convenient) but find they don't need to use the entire package for one dinner. Turning the leftovers from your fridge into croutons couldn't be simpler. It starts by slicing up your tubed polenta into pieces of the size and shape you prefer for your croutons (½ inch or so is a good starting point). If you have cold, firm leftover polenta you made from scratch in the fridge from last night's dinner, you can also use that.

Toss the cut pieces of polenta in oil, salt and pepper, and your choice of any other seasonings prior to cooking, so all that goodness will adhere to every bite. From there, you can either pan-fry these pieces on the stovetop in a nonstick skillet with a bit of olive oil, turning throughout so that each side is made crispy, or bake in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown. (Even your air fryer can get in on the polenta crouton game, if you happen to have one.)

The process for creating polenta croutons is truly that easy, and require nothing more to bring pizazz to your salad. That said, the fairly neutral, mildly sweet flavor profile of polenta makes it a great starting point for all kinds of flavorful embellishments.

Polenta has a natural affinity for salty cheeses, so you can season your croutons with grated versions of parmesan and pecorino, or a blend. If you prefer to keep things vegan, you can turn to nutritional yeast for an umami pop. The savory flavors of garlic and onion powder are a natural complement to polenta (much like standard bread-based croutons), along with fragrant dried herbs like parsley, basil, and rosemary, and spices like cayenne and cumin. 

You can even play to polenta's sweeter side by incorporating some brown sugar and cinnamon, which adds unexpected depth to a salad that features a sweet roasted vegetable like butternut squash. Or, try adding them atop a butternut squash soup. 

The garlicky-herb version of polenta croutons can make a heirloom tomato caprese salad really sing, or even add texture to a creamy tomato-basil soup or hearty clam chowder. Of course, they're so tasty and simple to make, you may just find yourself snacking on a handful instead.