If you keep up with visiting my blog, there’s a very good chance that you’ll come to learn how much Mike and I enjoy polenta. It’s a great base for meat and veggies, as it stands up well to meatballs and marinara, sausage and veggies, and braised short ribs. (More of those recipes for accompaniments to come!)
Similar to my Easy Parmesan Orzo, my polenta recipe requires three basic ingredients: chicken broth, polenta, and cheese (Parmesan or Asiago work great). You can add in milk and/or butter to make the dish even creamier, although these are optional. I tend to buy regular polenta (Bob’s Mills is my favorite brand), but you could potentially buy the quick-cooking kind to shorten the cooking time. And for all our regular grains including polenta and orzo, I keep them on hand in a glass jar in our pantry for easy access.
Cooking the polenta
The process is simple with only 6 steps. Start by bringing chicken broth in a pot to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to low, then cover. Cook for around 30 minutes, stirring frequently until the chicken broth has been absorbed and the polenta has thickened to a porridge. Add in more chicken broth if necessary if the mixture looks too thick. The mixture is ready when the polenta is creamy and tender.
To be honest, polenta is super forgiving. I’ve added the chicken broth and polenta together directly to the pot before bringing to a boil, and it turned out fine. Just whisk regularly and add more chicken broth when necessary to ensure the mixture doesn’t get too thick.
Finishing and serving
Remove from heat, then add in cheese. Stir until well incorporated and the cheese has melted. If you prefer your polenta extra creamy, you can add in a pat of butter and a few splashes of milk. Be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste. You could even stir in a handful of chopped herbs if you want. Serve the dish with the topping or accompaniments of your choice.
And I highly recommend serving this up with my juicy and tender meatballs and easy simmered tomato sauce!
Simple Cheesy Polenta
Print RecipeIngredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup polenta
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- ¾ cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese, plus more to serve
- (optional) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- (optional) ¼ cup of milk
Instructions
In a medium size saucepan with a lid, bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil.
Pour in the polenta while whisking continuously to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook the polenta for 20 to 30 minutes, whisking vigorously every 10 minutes. Add in more stock if the mixture gets too thick.
The polenta is done when it is creamy, tastes tender, and has thickened into a porridge.
Remove the polenta from heat and stir in the cheese (and if you desire, the butter and milk) until the cheese has melted. Season to taste.
Cover the pot and set aside until ready to serve.
2 Comments
Easy Simmered Marinara Tomato Sauce · VC in the Kitchen
June 25, 2017 at 10:58 pm[…] meatballs to your sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes, and then serve on top of spaghetti or this cheesy polenta. I love this sauce with my juicy and tender baked meatballs, for a perfect Italian dinner. Buon […]
Juicy and Tender Baked Meatballs · VC in the Kitchen
June 25, 2017 at 10:57 pm[…] a go-to option when having guests over. One of my favorite ways to serve meatballs is over simple cheesy polenta and the quick simmered tomato sauce (both recipes up on the blog!), topped with a bit of grated […]