Air fryer polenta fries with marinara and arugula salad
Crispy, cheesy polenta fries straight from the air fryer, dunked in warm marinara and served with a lemony arugula salad, a fun dinner that’s naturally gluten-free.
- 110 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.31 a serving
- 530 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups cornmeal
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- 1 package arugula
- 1 lemon, juiced
From your pantry
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 4½ cups water
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 530 calories, 12 g protein, 60 g carbs and 27 g fat, and costs about $2.31 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No arugula? Baby spinach or spring mix works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Rub an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 teaspoon of the oil.
Bring the water and salt in a large over high heat. Pour in the cornmeal in a slow stream, the whole time.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: Pour slowly and keep whisking or the cornmeal clumps.Turn the heat to low and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until very thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan.
Low heatTimer: 17 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: It bubbles and spits, so use a long spoon and keep the lid half on between stirs.Stir in the butter, ½ cup of the parmesan, the Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Spread it evenly in the dish and refrigerate 1 hour, until firm.
Timer: 60 min
Dolly’s tip: It has to be fully set to cut clean fries. Making it the night before is even easier.Turn the polenta out onto a board and cut it into fries about ½ inch thick and 3 inches long.
the air fryer to 400°F. Brush the fries with 2 tablespoons oil and air fry in one layer, in batches, 15 to 18 minutes, turning halfway, until and .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 16 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Give them space. Crowded fries steam and go soft instead of crisping.Meanwhile, warm the marinara in a small over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
the arugula with the rest of the oil, the lemon juice, pepper and the rest of the parmesan.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Serve the hot fries with the marinara for dipping and the salad on the side.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
