EASY Creamy Polenta Recipe (Secret Ingredient for Extra Creamy) (2024)

Creamy Polenta – a delicious, creamy side dish that pairs with nearly any meal and is done in a flash!

I struggle with side dishes almost every night. My family does not agree on vegetables unless it is Corn On The Cob or may be Side Salad. And let’s face it that is because of the butter and salad dressing!

So when I can find something that suits all of us, it makes it into the rotation often. This Polenta is one of those we all love! It is quick and easy to make, creamy, and can be really mixed up with different cheeses and seasonings to go with whatever we are having.

WHAT EXACTLY IS POLENTA?

Polenta is coarsely ground cornmeal made from yellow corn, so yes, technically it is a vegetable although some would also consider it to be a starch. It is incredibly versatile and can be made into a variety of dishes to make a delicious side dish and even used as the base for a main course. The flavor profile is truly a blank canvas, so you can create whatever you’d like.

Creamy polenta recipes like this one are generally made from a dry, grainy base which is the ground corn. But you also might see some polenta packaged in a tube, almost like sausage. This is a premade polenta used for making little patties that are crunchy on the outside, but creamy on the inside. Equally delicious, but not what you’ll need for this recipe.

Polenta hails from Northern Italy where it was used as a farmer or peasant dish- quick and easy to prepare and also easy on the wallet, it could be made into bone-sticking porridge and leave you feeling full for hours. It is now used in many global cuisines.

ARE POLENTA, CORNMEAL AND GRITS THE SAME THING?

While polenta, cornmeal, and grits are very similar, they are not exactly the same thing.

Polenta is made from yellow corn, as you can tell by the hue of our lovely creamy dish here, and is generally a fairly coarse grain. It is a little toothy and this is part of what I love about it- it isn’t perfectly smooth and has some body.

While cornmeal can be made from yellow corn as well (also white), it is a far finer grind and thus generally used in recipes like cornbread or even to dust pizza peels to prevent dough from sticking and give it a crunchy crust.

Lastly, grits are also a fairly coarse grind but made from white corn, also known as hominy, so they can be swapped in many polenta recipes, but will give a lighter appearance.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Milk– for the creamiest possible polenta, I highly suggest using a full fat milk, but if you have 2% or skim, those will work fine as well.
• Chicken Broth– One of my favorite kitchen tips and tricks is to use broth for rice, polenta and other similar dishes where you can add more flavor than water. Vegetable broth is another option for a vegetarian version. I aim for low sodium versions so that I can control the salt levels.
• Uncooked Polenta– This will be a dry grain, not the wet tubed kind.
• Salt– Fine sea salt will give the cleanest flavor.
• Reduce Fat Cream Cheese– Polenta will get creamy because it is starchy just from stirring it with a liquid, but we want this to be the best creamy polenta, so I added cream cheese. Full fat is a little too thick, but reduced back does the trick perfectly.

POLENTA VARIATIONS

This recipe is perfect as it is, but if you are wanting to make a few customizations, my favorites include adding a few grates of nutty cheese like an aged parmesan or pecorino romano or even cheddar cheese is delicious. When serving, also feel free to omit the salt and season it with an equal amount of seafood seasoning, seasoned salt, Cajun seasoning or Italian seasoning. Freshly cracked black pepper is also an excellent addition.

See Also

Vegan Mushroom Wellington recipeOld Bay Potato Latkes - Recipe GirlThe Best Keto Cheesecake Recipe - No Water Bath! • Low Carb with JenniferThe Best Deviled Eggs Recipe

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY POLENTA

1. Start by heating the liquids, simmer milk and broth over medium heat, but be mindful that milk has the tendency to over boil super fast (and make a giant mess) so don’t crank it up to high and walk away. Keep it on medium and watch carefully.
2. Gradually add the polenta while stirring to prevent it from clumping.
3. It will take about 20 minutes for the coarse grains to soak up the liquids and soften. Expect the mixture to bubble a little and get thick. Make sure to stir it frequently; not only will this prevent burning or scald to the bottom of the pot, but also help those starches release to give you the ultimate cream factor.
4. Remove from the pot from heat and stir in the salt and cream cheese until it is fully incorporated. Although I think it looks pretty cool with ribbons of cream cheese throughout it too, but that is personal preference.

WHAT DO YOU EAT WITH POLENTA?

I said it before and I’ll say it again- you can eat it with just about anything! We eat this a lot with pork chops, but here are some other excellent pairing ideas.

• Smoked Chicken Thighs
• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
• Air Fryer Pork Chops
• Sous Vide Pork Loin
• Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork

MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE

This is such an easy dish, but if you are making a lot or a big dinner, it is also make-ahead friendly and can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge.

To reheat it, whether it be leftovers or for the meal it was intended for, simply add it back to a pot on the stove and heat over medium-low heat along with 1/4 cup additional chicken broth or water. It will need some liquid to revive and get it back to its creamy glory!

Also, note that sometimes salt can be muted in chilled recipes such as this, so taste test it and correct the seasoning before serving.

No matter what you choose to serve this polenta recipe with, you’re sure to keep coming back to it again and again.

MORE QUICK SIDE DISHES TO TRY

Love how quick and simple this polenta was to make? Check out one of my other delicious side dishes.

• Lemon Herb Potato Salad
• Corn Fritters
• Smoked Mac and Cheese
• Corn Muffins
• Broccoli Rice Casserole

If you enjoy this Creamy Polenta as much as we do, make sure you share it with your friends and family so they can try it too.

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