Creamy Polenta
Ingredients
Using stone-ground polenta or cornmeal (Not Instant Polenta)
- 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, see notes
- 1 cup whole milk, see notes
- 1 cup (5 ounces; 140g) stone-ground polenta or yellow cornmeal, see notes
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick, cut up into smaller pieces
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, about 2 oz
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Optional Garnish: Parmesan cheese
Using Instant Polenta
- 3 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or a combination of stock and whole milk.
- 1 cup instant polenta
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, about 2 oz
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preferred Method:
- In a saucepan (about 3 Qt) over medium-high heat, bring the broth and milk to a boil. Gradually and slowly stir in the stone-ground polenta or yellow cornmeal. I use a whisk and stir constantly while adding the polenta to prevent lumps forming.
- Cook, stirring frequently until the polenta thickens and starts to bubble up and spit. Immediately, lower the heat (if you have an electric stove, you may need to remove the pot from the burner for about 40 seconds as the heat lowers gradually and slowly).
- Continue cooking and stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent the polenta from scorching. Simmer for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the polenta is thick, tender and pulls away from the sides of the pan when stirring.
- Add the butter and Parmesan cheese and stir until well combined. Season to taste and serve immediately.
- If the polenta thickens too much, becomes firm or sets, whisk in additional broth or milk. For a richer consistency, you can add a big splash of half and half or heavy cream and extra butter.
Using Instant Polenta:
- In a saucepan (about 3 Qt) over medium-high heat, bring the broth (or broth+milk) to a boil. Gradually and slowly stir in the polenta.I use a whisk and stir constantly while adding the polenta to prevent lumps forming.
- Cook, stirring frequently until the polenta thickens and starts to bubble up and spit. Immediately, lower the heat and simmer stirring constantly
- Simmer, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent the polenta from scorching for about 5 minutes or until the polenta is thick and tender.
- Add the butter and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Season to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
- I like using a whisk until the polenta thickens, then a wooden spoon or spatula work best.
- Polenta to Water Ratio when using stone-ground polenta or cornmeal
- Traditionally the ratio is 1 part polenta to 4 parts liquid however this recipe uses a cup of Parmesan cheese so we increased the ratio to 1 part polenta to 5 parts liquid which results in creamy (not runny) polenta.
- Instant polenta to liquid ratio
- Most instant polenta uses a ratio of 1 part polenta to 3 parts liquid. I recommend reading the instructions from the package. If the polenta seems too thick after adding the cheese, you can add additional liquid.
- You can make this recipe with water, broth or stock, whole milk or a combination. Water is flavorless so I don’t recommend it.
- You can add ¼ cup of heavy cream after adding the butter for a luxuriously rich polenta.
- Instead of butter, you can use 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- To make plant based polenta, use vegetable broth, oat milk and olive oil. Skip the cheese.
- Whether you make this creamy polenta as written or dairy free, you can add a teaspoon of vegetable or chicken bouillon to the liquid before bringing it to a boil.
