I rarely bother pan-frying my pre-cooked polenta, I just stick it in the microwave.
I love pre-cooked polenta topped with sauted chicken breast, sauteed spinach, and a tomato sauce.
I also love pre-cooked polenta with diced chicken, refried beans, and salsa. I put it all in a bowl together and pop it in the microwave. It is reminiscent of tamales.
Polenta is also great with eggs. Put one serving of polenta in an oven-proof ramekin, layer on diced ham and veggies of your choice, break a couple of eggs into the ramekin and top with 1 tbsp of fat free half and half (or milk of your choice). Bake at 375 until eggs are done to your liking. It will take at least 15 min and could take up to 30 min.
Speaking of tamales, you can make a great, low calorie, tamale pie with polenta:
Polenta Tamale Pie- 1 lb lean ground beef (at least 95% lean)
- 1 cup diced onion (about 6 oz)
- 1 cup diced red pepper (about 6 oz)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup salsa
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 14-oz can cream style corn (no added sugar) (or you can use 6 oz of frozen corn)
- 1 tube pre-cooked polenta
- 1/2 cup reduced fat cheese
Saute ground beef, onions, peppers, and garlic over med-high heat. When meat is browned, add salsa, tomato sauce, cumin, chili power, and corn. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed (5 min or so).
Meanwhile, slice polenta as thinly as possible (you want at least 27 slices) and divide slices into three piles. If you have a cheese slicer, that works best for this.
Coat an 8-inch square casserole dish (should be at least 2.5 inches deep) with cooking spray. Spoon one-fourth of the meat mixture into the casserole dish. Top with one-third of the polenta. Continue layering one-fourth meat mixture with one-third polenta and finish with layer of meat mixture. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees, until thorougly heated. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 5 min, until cheese is melted.
Makes 6 very satisfying servings @ about 260 calories per serving.