Polenta Recipe – If you’ve never had the chance to eat or make polenta then you’ve definitely been missing out. Polenta is super easy to make and is essentially the Italian version of grits! Whether you are eating creamy polenta or even polenta cakes, I know you will love it.
No joke, I’ve been making this creamy polenta recipe for the longest time but for some reason I’m just getting it up on BillyParisi.com for the first time. Talk about a ridiculously easy to make but tasty side dish to serve up at any meal. Most people always go with the traditional rice or potato as a starch but they’ve been missing out big time. Polenta is not only delicious as a side dish but it also works great as a main component of a main meal. For example, you can fold in roasted vegetables and chicken into cooked polenta, or you can put some creamy shrimp all over the top of it. I recommend to people to try and use polenta as the base of a main entree or as a side dish or eat it as it because this polenta recipe is absolutely delicious all by itself.
How to Make Polenta
Making this polenta recipe is super easy. It all starts with caramelizing up some chopped yellow onion and finely minced garlic cloves. Sure this can take up to 10 minutes or so but will be well worth it when it comes to the end result of this tasty side dish. If you wanted to kick it up even more you could caramelize up some mushrooms or root vegetables during this cooking stage as well. The point I’m trying to get at is that this polenta recipe is malleable, customize is it to your tastebuds!
Once they onions and garlic are brown in a medium size pot in olive oil, add in the cornmeal and toast. I prefer to use a medium ground cornmeal because I like it to be a bit more grainy, but that’s just so feel free to use a finer ground.
You are only cooking the cornmeal for just 2 to 3 minutes before adding in vegetable or chicken stock to help cook it the rest of the way. I think toasting it at the beginning just adds another layer of flavor to the final stages of this creamy polenta recipe. At this point you can kind of “risotto” it by adding in a little liquid at a time while continuing to stir or add it all in at once, cover it and simmer it on low heat until it’s done. If you want it to be super creamy than I would add in a little bit at a time.
Once it’s finished it should be smooth with no crunch to it. At this point stir in some whole butter, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. You’re done!
What is Polenta?
Even after reading all of this you may still be wondering what on earth is polenta made from. Well as I stated earlier it is essentially the Italian version of the southern classic, grits. This polenta recipe is made from cornmeal, that’s it. Now the cornmeal used in polenta is a different bread of corn and is cut differently so it’s not a perfect 1 to 1 comparison but the flavor profiles are very similar and the method is just about the same as well.
So the next time you see a package of cornmeal at the grocery store, that is your first step to making a polenta recipe.
This Creamy Polenta Recipe with Parmesan Cheese is super tasty and I promise so easy to make. If you are sick of making mashed potatoes for your kids, give this a try it works for us as our 3 year old LOVES it! Happy Cooking! Oh yeah, if you are looking an insanely delicious cornmeal recipe then be sure to check out this Mediterranean Vegetable Polenta!
Creamy Polenta Recipe with Parmesan Cheese
Enhance your main entree by serving this tasty and easy to make Creamy Polenta Recipe with Parmesan Cheese as a side dish for your next meal or enjoy it as the main meal and load it up with roasted vegetables. Polenta is an absolutely delicious savory dish that is sure to compliment any main entree.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1/2 small diced small yellow onion
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of medium ground cornmeal
- 3 cups of vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a medium size pot on medium-high heat add in the olive oil and cook the onions and garlic until they are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Next, add in the cornmeal and toast for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Pour in the liquid 1 cup at a time while continuing to stir until the liquid has been soaked into the cornmeal. Repeat until the liquid is all gone and the cornmeal is smooth with no crunch to it.
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Finish off the polenta by stirring in butter, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper until completely combined.
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Serve hot, enjoy!
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Yum! This is almost exactly how I make my risotto – but I need to try polenta soon!! Love it!
same technique 🙂
Wow! This turned out fantastic. I served it in a shallow bowl with roasted veggies on top. So yummy. I can’t wait to put braised lamb or beef on top of it or on the side.
So happy this turned out so well for you, thank for trying it out!!