This Roasted Tomato Polenta with Vegan Halloumi is a hearty plate of food that celebrates the end of summer. Get the recipe below.
Seasonal eating
This dish of roasted tomatoes served on top of polenta with fried vegan halloumi is simply divine. It has all the flavours of summer and the contrast of the creamy polenta, juicy tomatoes and crispy halloumi makes every mouthful as exciting as the last.
There are a couple of elements to making the dish. You need to roast the tomatoes, make the polenta, and fry the halloumi. It does mean there's a bit of washing up to do at the end but its worth it.
Let's take a closer look at the ingredients that make this dish so delicious.
What are heirloom tomatoes and where can I buy them?
You'll see from my photos that there are red, orange, yellow and green tomatoes sat atop the creamy polenta. These are different heirloom tomatoes.
We can get technical but, in short, heirloom tomatoes are ones that haven't been cross-bred. The reason the tomatoes we buy in the supermarkets all look and taste the same is because they've been bred that way. They've usually done this so that they have certain characteristics - like having a long shelf life.
Because of this, our supermarket tomatoes aren't always that flavourful. Heirloom tomatoes on the other hand taste like sunshine! And, for that reason, I love to use heirloom tomatoes in recipes like this where tomatoes really are the star.
You can get heirloom tomatoes at farmer's markets or even online from stores like Isle of Wight Tomatoes. Some of the better supermarkets do stock heirloom tomatoes during tomato season which is really good to see.
Of course you could also grow your own heirloom tomatoes! That's a great way to have delicious tomatoes on hand right throughout summer.
What is polenta and how do I cook it?
Polenta is a dish made from ground cornmeal.
You mix it with either water, stock or (plant) milk and simmer it. It's important to keep stirring until it gets to your desired thick, creamy texture. If you want it extra creamy you can add butter which I do in my recipe (see below).
It's such a versatile dish. You can flavour it with cheese and herbs. You can serve it with cooked vegetables (like the roasted tomatoes in this dish) or with sauces.
Although not part of this recipe, some people let it get cold so that it firms up. You can then cut it into "chips" and fry it!
Full instructions on how to make a luxurious, creamy polenta are found in the recipe card below.
Where can I buy vegan Halloumi?
I'll admit, good vegan halloumi is still pretty hard to come by.
There are a couple of brands who make something similar to halloumi in the UK. The best ones are Violife, Tescos and KindaCo. I've used KindaCo's Mozzaloumi for this recipe.
The recipe
Roasted Tomato Polenta with Vegan Halloumi
Ingredients
For the roasted tomatoes
- 150 g heirloom tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the fried vegan halloumi
- 100 g vegan halloumi cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the polenta
- 80 g dry quick-cooking polenta
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To roast the tomatoes
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C / 356F / gas mark 4.
- Cut your tomatoes so that they are all roughly the size (no larger or smaller than the size of a cherry tomato).
- Add the tomatoes to a roasting tin with the whole, peeled garclic cloves.
- Drizzle with the 2 tablespoon olive oil.
- Roast in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are bursting and the garlic is soft.
To fry the vegan halloumi
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan.
- Once hot, fry the vegan halloumi in the oil for 3 - 5 minutes or until golden and crisp.
- Flip over and cook the remaining side until golden and crisp (also 3 - 5 minutes).
To make the polenta
- While everything else is cooking, add the polenta to a saucepan with the water.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Keep stirring until it becomes creamy and thick.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.
- Divide the polenta between plates. Spoon the tomatoes over top, then add the vegan halloumi.
- Enjoy while still hot.
Nutrition
More tomato recipes
Tomato, Caper and Chilli Bruschetta
More summer recipes
Enjoy
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