Creamy Polenta Creamy Polenta Recipe- Curry Trail (2024)

Cheesy creamy polenta is an excellent base for saucy dishes like short ribs, Italian sausages, ragu, and roasted vegetables. It’s a perfect compliment for any meal and comes together pretty quickly. Stone-ground yellow cornmeal is cooked in a seasoned aromatic broth and finished with a generous amount of butter and cheese. Eat it as it is or pair it with protein dishes like short ribs Italian sausages or ragu.

Why this recipe works

A staple in Italian cuisine, a warm bowl of polenta topped with saucy hearty meat dishes is very comforting. A comforting bowl of polenta for chilly fall weather is perfect! Serve it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

A wonderful low-card side dish that you can add to your diet if you are low-carb diet. It’s nutritious too, cornmeal has good amount of fiber and protein.

This porridge-like texture of the polenta is a great meal on any day, and it works when served both hot and cold.

It’s ridiculously easy to make with minimal prep work.

Seasoned broth in which polenta is cooked makes it absorb all the flavors giving you a deliciously cheesy, savory side dish that can be a perfect base for any hearty stew or saucy dishes.

It’s a versatile dish, you can change the flavors depending on how you like.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need –

• Stone ground polenta/yellow cornmeal
• Chicken broth
• Milk
• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Garlic
• Fresh thyme or fresh rosemary
• Bay leaf
• Salt & pepper
• Unsalted butter
• Parmesan cheese

All ingredients’ exact measurements in mentioned in the recipe card below.

1. Polenta – best to use stone ground cornmeal or polenta. Stone ground polenta is coarse in texture and leads to polenta that is creamy but with a slight bite to it. If you can’t get stone ground polenta, choose regular polenta with medium-sized grits. If polenta is too coarse, simply pulse the cornmeal in a blender, so the granules are less coarse. If you use quick-cook polenta, cooking time will vary significantly, and its texture will be grainier as it cooks faster. Quick-cook polenta works best if you want to grill, bake, or fry it after it’s cooked like polenta fries.
2. Broth – use chicken or beef broth. Vegetarians can use vegetable broth. Though water can be used instead of broth, I highly recommend broth as it seasons the liquid with more flavor and polenta has more flavor and taste.
3. Milk – a mix of milk and broth makes polenta creamy and flavorful.
4. Olive oil – Use extra virgin olive oil.
5. Yellow onion & and garlic – aromats to add more flavor and aroma to the liquid in which polenta is cooked.
6. Herbs – I used fresh thyme and a small bay leaf. Thyme can be substituted with fresh rosemary or parsley. Bay leaf is used for flavor, discard it after the polenta is cooked, before serving.
7. Seasoning – Always taste first before seasoning the polenta. Salt and pepper as per taste to be added.
8. Butter – it’s crucial you use unsalted butter.
9. Parmesan – Use freshly grated parmesan cheese.

How to make creamy polenta

I found the ratio to make perfectly creamy polenta is 4:1, 4 parts liquid to cook 1 part polenta. In a large saucepan, heat extra virgin olive oil.

Sauté diced onion and minced garlic, do not let it brown (mine slightly browned due to cooking on high heat and I was trying to shoot).

Pour stock and milk into the pan. Add fresh thyme and bay leaf.

Wait for the liquid to just begin to boil, simmer heat, and slowly add the cornmeal while whisking constantly.

Whisk rigorously.

Cover and simmer cook for 20-35 minutes (depending on the texture of your cornmeal), whisking frequently. Polenta will be done once it pulls clean from the sides of the pan.

Once polenta is cooked, taste and add seasoning (salt and ground pepper) as per taste, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Mix well until cheese and butter are fully melted.

Serve hot as a side dish for any heaty meaty saucy dishes like short ribs, stew, ragu, and Italian sausages.

How to serve creamy polenta

Cheesy creamy polenta is an excellent base for saucy dishes like short ribs, stew, Italian sausages, ragu, and roasted vegetables. It’s a perfect complement to any meal.

I can eat it as it is, it’s creamy, cheesy and so comforting.

Add a pile of polenta in a bowl and top it with any meaty dish of your choice. A warm bowl of this creamy polenta with a hearty stew or ragu is so comforting on a chilly winter night.

Sharing some ideas for topping creamy polenta with –

• Pork/beef ragu
• Short ribs
• Cajun shrimp
• Italian sausages
• Roasted vegetables
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Green beans
• Lamb stew
• Fried eggs
• Braised lamb shank

Tips to make creamy lump-free polenta

1. Use the right cornmeal, the texture depends on the type of cornmeal you choose. Medium coarsely ground polenta is best.
2. Avoid lumps. Slowly add cornmeal into boiling liquid while constantly whisking. This will get rid of the clumps.
3. Polenta on its own is bland. Add flavor to it by cooking it in stock and season well. Onion, garlic, fresh thyme, and bay leaf add tons of flavor to the broth and hence the polenta.
4. Remember creamy polenta thickens as it sits. Serve it right away to enjoy the best texture. If you are not planning to serve immediately, and if the polenta has thickened, reheat it on the stove on low heat adding very little water, milk, or stock, and stir to break any lumps in it until you get the desired consistency.

Storage and reheating

Leftover polenta can be stored covered in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Remember polenta thickens as it sits. If you plan to use it for grilling or frying, it’s advisable to pour polenta into a casserole dish before storing it in the refrigerator. Once cooled cover with plastic wrap and store refrigerated.

Reheat it on the stove on low heat adding very little water, milk, or stock, and stir to break any lumps in it until you get the desired consistency.

Common questions

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