Creamy polenta is an amazing Italian recipe of cooked yellow cornmeal in a seasoned broth and finished off with butter and parmesan cheese for the perfect side dish.
Creamy polenta is super easy to make and is essentially the Italian version of grits. The few differences are that polenta uses yellow cornmeal and grits uses white corn hominy. In addition, yellow cornmeal for polenta tends to be more coarse. Whether you are eating creamy polenta or even polenta cakes, I know you will love this recipe.
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.
HOW TO MAKE A CREAMY POLENTA RECIPE
Making this creamy polenta recipe is so incredibly easy that you’ll wonder why you haven’t made it before.
Step1: It all starts with caramelizing up some chopped yellow onion and finely minced garlic cloves in a small amount of olive oil in a 6 or 8 quart pot. 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 creamy polenta side dish.
You do not need a full caramelization but rather a light toasting on the onion. NOTE: It is absolutely ok to sub unsalted butter for olive oil in this cooking procedure.
- CHEF TIP: 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 creamy polenta recipe is malleable, customize is it to your tastebuds!
Step 2: Once they onions and garlic are brown in a medium size pot in olive oil, add in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. NOTE: You can substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock or even just water.
Step 3: When it is boiling pour in the cornmeal while vigorously whisking constantly to ensure there are no clumps in the polenta. Turn the heat down to medium-low. This is the most important stage of the entire cooking process because the cornmeal needs to be cooked without any chunks in it.
This process can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. NOTE: I prefer to use a medium ground cornmeal to make the creamy polenta with because I like it to be a bit more grainy, but that’s just so feel free to use a finer ground.
- CHEF TIP: If you want this to be a super creamy polenta then use a ration of 4:1 liquid to cornmeal opposed to 3:1 that I used in this recipe.
Step 4: Once the creamy polenta is 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 this polenta recipe 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 creamy polenta recipe. This Creamy Polenta Recipe 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!
SERVING POLENTA
Creamy polenta is not only delicious as a side dish but it also a recipe that works great as a main component of a main meal.
For example, you can fold in roasted vegetables and chicken into a cooked creamy polenta recipe, 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 creamy polenta recipe is absolutely delicious all by itself.
MORE SIDE DISH RECIPES
Oh yeah, if you love this creamy polenta recipe then you will love these sides dishes!
- Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze
- Parmesan Truffle Fries Recipe
- How to Make a Traditional Ratatouille Recipe
- Cheesy Asparagus
- How to Make Scalloped Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese
STORING AND FREEZING: Store this polenta in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat it add about 1/2 cup of chicken stock to it and heat it up over low heat until it becomes creamy again. Polenta will freeze covered in the freezer for up to 2 months. Do the same process to reheat, but first make sure it is thawed out.
Remember to check out the step by step video below!
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Video
Creamy Polenta Recipe with Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 small diced small yellow onion
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 6 cups of chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 2 cups of medium ground cornmeal
- 2 ounces of unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- 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 3 to 7 minutes.
- Pour in the liquid and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling pour in the cornmeal while continuing to vigorously stir with a whisk to ensure no clumps are formed, about 15 to 20 minutes. When the cornmeal is poured in, turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Finish off the polenta by stirring in butter, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper until completely combined. Cook for a further 5 minutes over low heat. Garnish with parmesan and parsley.
- Serve hot, enjoy!
Notes
- It is absolutely ok to sub unsalted butter for olive oil when cooking the onions.
- 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 creamy polenta recipe is malleable, customize is it to your tastebuds!
- You can substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock or even just water.
Nutrition
Dave says
August 11, 2019 at 5:50 pmI remember my grandmother substituting part of the water with milk and using a cup of parmesan cheese. What does this do to the recipe?
Chef Billy Parisi says
August 11, 2019 at 6:35 pmIt would maybe make it a little creamier but with all the butter and cheese I already have in there probably not much.
Donna Morris says
June 28, 2019 at 10:40 amWow!! Absolutely delicious! You made it so simple and easy to follow. Thank you! 👏I added mushrooms to the onions and garlic and it was a huge success! 👏
Chef Billy Parisi says
June 28, 2019 at 11:30 amDelicious!!!!
Kathy buskett says
February 25, 2019 at 6:32 pmI never made polenta before tonight. Looked up this recipe and used onions and garlic, leeks and mushrooms and grated cheese. Wow. It was awesome. Thanks I’ve now got a new starch for my dinner rotation!
Chef Billy Parisi says
February 26, 2019 at 9:53 amoh man the added stuff you put in there sounds amazing! So glad you love this recipe 🙂
Kaye Edwards says
August 2, 2018 at 5:59 pmLast week was the first time I made polenta and the recipe was easy to follow and the end result was delicious! I am about to make it for a second time with some sautéed pinto beans! YUM! Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe.
Chef Billy Parisi says
August 3, 2018 at 10:22 amKaye this is amazing thank you so much for the kind words and giving it a try!
JoAnne says
January 6, 2018 at 9:49 pmWow! 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.
Chef Billy Parisi says
January 7, 2018 at 6:49 pmSo happy this turned out so well for you, thank for trying it out!!
Sara says
August 8, 2016 at 8:58 pmYum! This is almost exactly how I make my risotto – but I need to try polenta soon!! Love it!
Chef Billy Parisi says
August 9, 2016 at 6:24 amsame technique 🙂
Laura says
August 15, 2019 at 2:21 pmDo you have to stir it the whole 15-20 minutes?
Chef Billy Parisi says
August 15, 2019 at 8:48 pmNo but keep an eye on it especially at the beginning because it will clump.