Name: How to Make Polenta - an Easy Italian Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion (diced); 1 bunch rapini (washed and chopped into small pieces); 1 ½ cups polenta (or good quality corn meal (you can put it in the blender to make it more fine or leave as is)); ½ tsp Kosher salt; caramelized onions (optional, to serve)

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Learn how to make polenta from an Italian who knows all about polenta and Cucina Povera. This is how my Nonna Chiarina made polenta in Southern Italy.

Originally published November 28, 2012.

Polenta is no longer the peasant food of its past, and rightfully so. It’s such a versatile dish; if you’ve never tried it, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

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Have you ever made polenta? Is it one of those dishes that is something you’re afraid of making simply because you don’t know enough about it?

Given the types of questions that people ask on google (see my answers below), I’d hazard a guess that there are many of you who feel this way, so I’m going to walk you through how to make a delicious bowl of polenta and you’ll never look back!

I originally published this post almost 8 years ago when I had no clue about SEO or how to post recipes, so I included at least four recipes in one post which means that none of them were actually seen! This was the title, Polenta, The Dish with Endless Possibilities. So I’m starting with this basic polenta recipe and will follow with others. (Edit: I’ve since posted this lovely recipe on grilled or roasted polenta with or without cheese!)

What is Polenta?

Polenta is simply, cooked corn meal, and it has always been a very popular dish in Italy. It’s really a “peasant” dish, and I make it the way my mother taught me, which is how her mother taught her, which I’m sure goes back many generations. Polenta can refer to the corn meal itself, or the dish after it’s cooked.

packages of polenta — Instant (3 minute) and traditional polenta

How is Polenta Different from Corn Meal?

While corn meal is a more coarsely ground corn, polenta is much more fine. It’s almost like a flour, but not quite as fine. That said, if you only have corn meal, use it in place of polenta as the flavor is just as good, but it’s the texture that is different. If you don’t like the coarse grind texture, you can always blend the corn meal in a blender to get a finer grind.

cooking corn meal — You can see the difference in the texture between this and the polenta photos below.

Is Polenta Good or Bad for You?

Polenta is definitely a nutritious and healthy dish, given of course, that it’s made with good quality ingredients and not topped or made with unhealthy additions. It’s naturally gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free, egg free and nut free. Don’t take my word for it, though, read about its health benefits here.

How do you Keep Polenta Creamy?

My tip for avoiding lumps is written in the recipe below, but besides whisking the grain into cold water before it comes to a boil, I find it easier to wet the polenta and then add it to the pot of water.

Variations of, and Ways to Serve Polenta

The following recipe includes rapini, which is the way my Nonna made it most frequently, however, you can absolutely omit the greens if you want a plain polenta. In fact, you can even omit the onions, but these ingredients only add to the nutrition and flavor of the dish. I highly recommend trying it if you can source the ingredients right now.

You can also add many other ingredients to your liking, such as fava beans, other vegetables and cheese. One of my favorites is a dry cured, hard Italian sausage in the polenta. I also like to fry some sausage with the onions and add it on top (see the picture below). The caramelized onion topping is incredibly delicious and adds a lovely texture to the soft dish.

A very typical way to serve polenta in Italy is with a meatless tomato sauce like this one. Another is polenta with braised beef, as we were served in the Italian speaking region of Ticino in Switzerland.

How to Make Polenta: a Basic Italian Recipe

ratio for polenta/corn meal to water is 1:4 (in volume) makes 5 servings

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil
onion
rapini,
polenta
Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

-Optional: caramelized onions to serve

Step 1

Fry the onion in the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high heat until translucent and just starting to brown.

frying onions

Add 4 cups of water to the pot.

adding water to the pot

Step 2

Then add the chopped rapini and cook for about two minutes.

adding the rapini to the pot

Next, add the remaining 2 cups of water to the cornmeal placed in a bowl, and stir to moisten. This technique of adding water to the dry ingredient will ensure that you will avoid lumps. However, do not add the water to the polenta until just before adding it to the pot. Add half a teaspoon of Kosher salt at this time, taste and add more as needed.

Step 3

Immediately add the wet polenta to the pot before the water comes to a boil.

Continue stirring, and cook over medium heat (it should be bubbling) for about 25 minutes. Keep scraping the bottom to make sure the polenta doesn’t stick. Be careful not to let it boil too fast or the polenta may bubble which is painful if it squirts onto your hand.

If you are using a quick cooking package, it will be ready in just a few minutes, however the traditional type will need to cook for about 25 minutes, possibly longer. Taste again for salt and remove from heat when it is no longer hard and gritty.

Pour into bowls immediately and serve.

Important Note: If there is any leftover in the pot, put it into a dish which you will want to keep in the refrigerator as it hardens as it cools.

Enjoy this ancient dish!

And if you try it and love it as much as I do, please click the 5 stars on the printable recipe card below!