Creamy Polenta
This creamy polenta recipe is a classic Italian dish that is ready in minutes! Not only is it gluten-free, but its a great alternative to pasta or rice and you can easily season it to suit your palate.
Polenta is a northern Italian dish that consists of cooked coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. For best results, use course cornmeal; regular ground cornmeal is finer and does not work as well.
Grits and Polenta are not the same, even though they are both corn. Grits are ground from white corn, or hominy, and Polenta is course-ground yellow corn.
Ingredients
Traditional Italian polenta is made with water as the liquid, and the ratio of liquid-to-cornmeal is typically 4:1 or 5:1, depending upon how creamy you want the polenta and how many minutes you cook it.
- Coarsely ground cornmeal – yellow cornmeal; you may find your grocery store carries Bob’s Red Mill Polenta, which is what I used in this recipe. You may find polenta in a tube – do NOT use that for this recipe. The polenta in a tube is best for frying polenta.
- Water-you can substitute the water with chicken stock or chicken broth
- Milk – whole milk or 2%
- Kosher salt
- Butter – unsalted butter or a high quality extra virgin olive oil
- Pecorino Romano cheese – you can substitute with grated Parmesan cheese, but I recommend using a stronger, saltier cheese
- Ground white pepper and garlic powder- these are optional ingredients
How to make creamy polenta
This is a quick overview; for exact measurements and cooking details, see the recipe card below. The recipe takes about 30 mins to make.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, bring all the milk and half of the water to a boil with the salt
- Once boiling, add the cornmeal and combine well; reduce heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes
- Gradually add more water as the polenta cooks
- Once the texture is smooth and no longer grainy, remove from heat; add butter, freshly grated cheese and adjust seasonings to taste; serve immediately
Recipe tips
- Right after you add the cornmeal to the boiling liquid, it will start to burp and bubble in the saucepan! Reduce heat and stir until the grains are completely saturated with the liquid
- As the polenta cooks, if it seems to be getting too thick, gradually add water and continue to stir
- Taste for salt after you’ve added the grated cheese
Serving suggestions
Creamy polenta serves as a wonderful base or side dish for pan-fried pork chops, chicken cutlets, braised short ribs or serve it as a breakfast cereal with a little brown sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup
Variations
Convert this basic creamy polenta recipe into your own culinary masterpiece!
- Cheese – if you want a cheesy polenta, add additional cheeses like crumbled goat cheese, crumbled feta cheese or cream cheese
- Herbs – incorporate fresh herbs to give this dish an elevated flavor profile. Some nice choices are ground thyme, rosemary, or top with fresh basil
- Nuts and seeds – top your polenta with a little sprinkling of pine nuts, pepitas or roasted sunflower seeds
My favorite way to serve this is topped with roasted eggplant, roasted grape tomatoes or sundried tomatoes, a few sliced black olives, a few pinenuts and another sprinkling of that delicious Pecorino Romano cheese!
Storage and reheating
Cooked cornmeal thickens upon refrigeration. Store polenta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stove at low temperature. You will have to add liquid to the polenta upon reheating.
Related recipes
- Three Cheese Manicotti Crepes
- Seafood Manicotti Alfredo
- Classic Caesar Salad Dressing
- Caesar Salad Green Beans
- Chicken Piccata with Lemon Sauce
- Veal Scallopini
Creamy Polenta
Equipment
- Wooden spoon (or a sturdy spoon)
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk, whole or 2%
- 2½ cups water, divided
- 1½ teaspooons kosher salt
- 1 cup course ground yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or high quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper(optional)
- ¼-½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- fresh chopped basil, garnish (optional)
Instructions
Read the recipe notes below
- In a large saucepan bring milk and half of the water (1¼ cup) and salt to boil; reserve the remaining water for later
- Add corn meal; reduce heat to low and stir continuously until mixture settles and stops bubbling; cover and allow to cook on low heat, stirring occasionally
- Remove from heat; add butter, grated cheese and garlic powder (optional); stir until mixture is well-combined. If its thicker than you like, add in the remaining water in tablespoon increments until the polenta is the texture you like. Serve immediately.
