Plant-based tamale bowls are an incredibly easy and healthy dinner. Made with super simple ingredients, this tasty meal is a perfect way to enjoy homemade tamales without the hassle of traditional tamales. This recipe is plant-based / vegan, oil-free and gluten free.
My new favorite go-to dinner has to be these tamales bowls. They are such a great, easy dinner that can easily be added into your rotation. Simply cook some polenta, open a few cans of beans, season and your done!
This recipe can also be super versatile. You could swap out the black beans for chickpeas or pinto beans or even some seasoned veggies. Toppings are endless, but I love having homemade hot sauce and some chunky pico de gallo. Another combo that would taste amazing is some plant-based queso drizzled on top.
How to Make Polenta for Plant-Based Tamale Bowls
Polenta has become a new favorite of mine lately. There are many different methods of cooking it, however here is how I make it for tamale bowls.
Using a large stainless saucepan, add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, slowly mix in the polenta. Make sure to continuously whisk it until there are no clumps of polenta.
Once you have mix in the polenta, reduce to a medium-low heat. Continue to whisk the polenta for another 10 minutes. This ensure that it won’t stick to the pan and burn.
When the polenta gets really thick, stir in the almond milk and whisk every few minutes. Do this for about another 10 minutes.
Add in the cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir together.
Next, reduce heat to low and let the polenta cook for roughly another 10-15 minutes until it has thicken again. Stir every few minutes. If the polenta gets too thick, add in a splash of almond milk. As mentioned in the recipe, the polenta should be pretty thick but not too thick to manage.
Once it’s finished cooking, remove from heat.
Note: The polenta will continue to thicken as it sits. Within a few minutes, it will resemble the texture of the outside of a tamale. If it’s too thick, simply add another splash of almond milk until it is at a consistency of your liking.
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Tamale Bowls
Ingredients
Polenta
- 2 cups polenta
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic
- salt & pepper to taste
Beans
- 2 cans black beans
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 handful chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Polenta
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In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, slowly add in polenta and continuously whisk until there are no clumps.
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Reduce to medium-low heat and whisk the polenta often for about 10 minutes.
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Once it is thick, stir in almond milk and whisk every few minutes for about another 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.
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Reduce to low heat and let cook for another 10-15 minutes until it is thick. Stir every few minutes and add more almond milk as necessary. You are going to want the mixture to be pretty thick as it will resemble the outside of a tamale when done.
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Once it's finished cooking, remove from heat.
For the Beans
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Warm up black beans.
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Add in cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion, cayenne, garlic cloves, cilantro, salt and pepper.
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Stir together.
Assemble the Bowls
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Take a scoop of poleta and add it to your bowl. Top with beans, hotsauce, homemade pico de gallo, guacamole or plant-based queso.
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Thank you for the recipe! Do you think soy milk would work as well as almond?
Hi Amelia!
Soy milk should work just fine!
– Alexis