Growing up, I was not a fan of grits. My mom, however, loved (and still loves) eating grits for breakfast. In fact, when my family first moved from Kentucky to Texas, my mom quickly sought out any breakfast-oriented restaurant that served grits the way she liked them. When I was little, I would eat grits, but I had to add tons of salt, pepper, and/or cheese to make them palatable. The older I got, though, the more I came to appreciate the simplicity and versatility of good grits. I never thought I’d say it, but actually love grits now!

Grits are, quite simply, a popular southern dish of ground corn cooked in water or milk and turned into “mush.” I know this doesn’t sound appetizing, but grits can be quite delicious.

While I haven’t eaten grits in a while, grits have a not-so-distant and popular cousin: polenta. Polenta and grits are extremely similar: both are made from ground corn and cooked until soft. It’s my understanding that the basic differences between grits and polenta are as follows: while grits are typically made using white corn, polenta is typically made using yellow corn; polenta is often ground much more finely than grits, which are coarsely ground; and while grits are usually considered a breakfast dish, polenta is more commonly served for dinner.

Even though I’ve eaten my fair share of grits in my time, I had somehow never tried polenta until recently. My first impression was, “Oh my gosh! This is just like grits!” It goes without saying, I was instantly smitten!

Since that first tasting, I’ve made polenta more times than I can count. Now that the season is changing and the weather is getting cooler, it’s the perfect time to begin making polenta again! Usually I just cook up some polenta, toss it in a bowl, top it with other goodies, and dig in. Although there’s definitely nothing wrong with this method, I decided I would try something different for a change.

Since the holidays are right around the corner, I thought I would make a polenta dish with clean flavors that could be eaten alone, served alongside meat or more veggies, or served (in mini form) as a party appetizer. Enter these Polenta Cakes topped with Tomato and Garlic Kale.

These polenta cakes were extremely easy to make! To make the larger versions (pictured), I used my 6-cup muffin tin. However, if you want to make a mini version for serving at parties, you can easily use a 12-cup muffin tin and smaller Roma tomatoes for topping.

The best part is, you can make and refrigerate the polenta cakes ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when you’re ready to eat! And while the polenta cakes are in the oven, it’s the perfect time to quickly sauté the garlic and kale. Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat this entire recipe by myself, I kept three of the cakes in the fridge and cooked them up the next day for dinner. So easy! And the perfect dish to warm my southern heart

*I’ve submitted this recipe to Gluten Free Fridays and Healthy Vegan Fridays