Oven-Baked and Microwave Polenta

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated Nov. 13, 2023

Oven-Baked and Microwave Polenta
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
4(623)
Comments
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For those who have sworn off mashed potatoes because of the carbohydrates and fats, and for those who cannot eat wheat and so have said good-bye to pasta, polenta may be just the thing. Polenta is a delicious gruel, an elegant mush made by cooking cornmeal (or occasionally semolina or buckwheat) in salted water. From humble origins, polenta now appears on the fanciest restaurant menus, usually served as an accompaniment to meat and fish. But it can be a main event. It can be served hot and runny from the pot, or else sliced, grilled, pan-seared or gratinéed. And polenta can be topped with any number of sauces or vegetable ragouts.

Featured in: An Elegant Gruel: Polenta

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4

    For the Easy Oven-baked Polenta

    • 1cup polenta
    • 1quart water
    • 1teaspoon salt
    • 1tablespoon unsalted butter

    For the Microwave Polenta

    • ¾cup polenta
    • ¾teaspoon salt
    • 3cups water
    • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

305 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 5 grams protein; 1041 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. For the Easy Oven-baked Polenta

    1. Step 1

      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the butter. Use a fork or a spatula to stir the polenta well, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir again. Carefully taste a little bit of the polenta; if the grains are not completely soft, return to the oven for 10 minutes. Serve right away for soft polenta, or let sit five minutes for a stiffer polenta. Spoon onto a plate. Make a depression in the middle, and serve with the topping of your choice or plain, as a side dish. Alternatively, for grilling or use in another recipe, allow to chill and stiffen in the baking dish, or scrape into a lightly oiled or buttered bread pan and chill.

    2. Step 2

      Combine the polenta, salt and water in a 2½- to 3-quart microwave-safe bowl, and stir together. Cover the bowl with a plate, and place in the microwave. Microwave on high for eight minutes. Remove from the microwave carefully, wearing oven mitts, as the bowl will be quite hot. Carefully remove the plate from the top, and allow the steam to escape. Stir in the butter, and mix well with a fork. Cover the bowl again with the plate and return to the microwave. Microwave on high for three minutes. Again, remove from the microwave carefully, wearing oven mitts. Carefully remove the plate from the top, and allow the steam to escape. Stir the polenta, and return to the microwave for three more minutes. Carefully remove from the microwave. Stir and serve, or pour into a lightly buttered bread pan and allow to cool, then slice and grill or sear in a lightly oiled pan.

Tips
  • Variation:Polenta With ParmesanWhen you remove the polenta from the oven, stir in ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan. Serve at once. I like to grind a little black pepper over the top.
  • Advance preparation: If you are serving polenta hot with a topping, it’s best to serve it when it comes out of the oven, allowing it to sit for five minutes at most.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

Ratings

4 out of 5
623 user ratings
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Comments

blisssu

The microwave polenta works perfectly. To make it vegan, I used olive oil instead of butter.

I'm trying an idea (which may need adjusting) of using the polenta as a pizza crust: Pour the hot polenta onto a greased pizza pan, spread it evenly and let it firm up. Bake it at 425F until brown and crispy at the edges (about 20 minutes), then add toppings and bake for 10 minutes more.

P.S. The crust calls for 1/4 cup, rather than 1 tablespoon, of oil, but probably the smaller amount would do.

Sue

Microwave version came out delicious - creamy and tasty. I used ordinary corn meal.

Una K

I've made this 3 times in 2 weeks. Great recipe. I use chicken stock instead of water and Romano cheese

LindaL

Excellent. Used the slow-cooker. Two cans of tomato paste were the best.

Helen

I am grateful for the oven version. We don’t have a microwave (by choice).

ShenAnno

This is an excellent recipe for microwave polenta. It is the only recipe I use. I have a small microwave that cooks at a lower power, and this works perfectly every single time.

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