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Creamy Polenta

Posted by Elise on Sep 3, 2006

Filed under Cheese, Gluten-Free, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Creamy Polenta

The simplicity of this creamy polenta recipe belies its true wonderfulness. This polenta is so light, so fluffy, so creamy, it could almost be a dessert. Polenta is made from coarsely ground cornmeal and is a staple of Northern Italy. It makes a wonderful serving base for osso bucco, short ribs or oxtail. In this recipe the polenta is slowly cooked in water with a little butter, then finished with stirring in some cream cheese and salt. Easy to make and absolutely delicious.

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Creamy Polenta Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup medium-grain yellow polenta
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup cream cheese

Method

1 Heat water lightly seasoned with salt to a boil over high heat, about 5 minutes. Quickly whisk in the polenta until fully incorporated.

2 Lower the heat to a low simmer, add the butter and allow the polenta to cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

3 Finish by stirring in the cream cheese and salt to taste.

If preparing in advance, cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat in the microwave, about 5 minutes on high, just before serving. Stir vigorously after reheating to fluff.

Serves 8.

Indexed: Polenta

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15 Comments

I love this recipe! I have made it several times. It is like comfort food for me when I decide to eat carbs.

Posted by: Joni on April 2, 2006 7:31 PM

This looks so good! I love polenta--ate a lot of it in my gluten-free phase. I will definitely be trying out this version. Thanks.

Posted by: Tea on April 3, 2006 4:37 PM

Tried your recipe tonight....I loved it! It was nice and creamy.

Posted by: Anonymous on April 4, 2006 10:24 AM

Hi Elise,

The polenta looks awesome. What brand of corn-meal did you use?

Note from Elise: I'm pretty sure we bought organic polenta in bulk at Whole Foods.

Posted by: Helen on April 11, 2006 10:17 AM

I love polenta, but have never made it myself.

I've never bought polenta. What do I have to look for to get a decent choice?

Posted by: Irene Hahn on April 16, 2006 7:28 PM

I use a brand called Bob's Red Mill, because everything I have ever bought from them has been great. The web site, bobsredmill.com tells you where you can find their stuff. Otherwise, just look for cornmeal that says 'medium grind' to get good texture. I made this last night and it was fantastic! Thanks!

Posted by: Amber on March 1, 2007 9:32 AM

Just wanted to toss my accolades in with the others. This is a delicious dish. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Posted by: Charles on March 14, 2007 7:51 AM

This was my first polenta experience, and at first I thought hmm this is a bit rich, but then I couldn't...stop...eating...it...

Just a fair warning to anyone watching their weight ;)

Posted by: pc on June 2, 2007 10:38 PM

You really want to make this a great dish, add a cup of each of Fontina and Parmesan (grated)Cheese. Wow it's good.

Posted by: Penny on October 28, 2007 5:54 AM

This is my standard polenta recipe and it is foolproof if you follow the directions. We try to do a cheese tasting once a week. Then I'll take several of the remaining pieces and put them in the food processor with 1 tbs cream, 1 tbs white wine, and puree. That will be the cheese mixture I add to the polenta along with the 1/2 the butter amount at the very end. Tonight a mixture of Rogue River Crater Lake Blue and a ripe french goat cheese (2 to 4 oz total)will finish the polenta and accompany a chanterelle and spinich stuffed pork tenderloin. Don't count the calories, but it is an amazing combo. Thanks Elise, this is still my favorite food blog!

Posted by: Mark on October 9, 2008 3:22 PM

When purchasing polenta for this recipe, could it be just yellow corn meal?

According to the New York Times, yes, you can just use cornmeal. ~Elise

Posted by: Nvrhom13 on October 28, 2008 4:46 PM

Wow! First time ever eating or making fresh polenta....this was outstanding! Thank you! P.S. not sure if there is a difference, but I did use "instant polenta". Fantastic dish!

Posted by: Charlotte on February 6, 2009 6:40 PM

Oh, wow! This was fabulous. My husband had never tried polenta before, and I had never cooked it, but this was super easy and so tasty. I'll definitely make this again. We love your recipes, Elise. Thanks!

Posted by: Alison @ Wholesome Goodness on March 18, 2009 6:16 PM

Wow, this takes me back. I'm Cuban and my grandmother used to make it for me when I was a kid for breakfast. We call it harina (h is silent). She used the fine cormeal and was sweet, mmmmmmmmmmm!

Posted by: Elsa on April 24, 2009 4:23 PM

I've made this several times, most recently last night to go with Ancho/Coffee Short Ribs and roasted brussels sprouts. I didn't have cream cheese so I substituted a little sour cream, which I've done before and it works out fine. Also, for these short ribs, I stir some shredded cheddar cheese into the polenta and garnish the top with a bit more. I also second the recommendation of Bob's Red Mill polenta. It's a bit coarser than most, but it's also high-quality and delicious.

The best part about this is that it is truly foolproof.

Posted by: The Duck Juice Chronicles on October 30, 2009 11:50 AM

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