No-Stir Polenta

Name: No-Stir Polenta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings (about 4 cups)
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup coarse-ground polenta (not instant or quick-cooking); Salt; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

By Sheela Prakash

Published April 16, 2025

No-Stir Polenta — Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Total Time: 55 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 5(190)
Comments: Read comments

Though polenta is traditionally made on the stovetop, simmered in water to become creamy and porridge-like, its results often skew inconsistent. Not to mention that standing over a pot stirring for upwards of an hour is simply a bit of a drag. Enter oven-baked polenta, a no-stir, set-it-and-forget approach to Italian cornmeal that’s infallible. Simply whisk coarse polenta with water and salt, slip it into the oven and let it do its thing while you do yours. Return and you have a creamy bed to rest everything from a saucy ragú or chickpeas all’arrabbiata to sausage and peppers or shrimp scampi.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 4 cups)

1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1cup coarse-ground polenta (not instant or quick-cooking)
Salt
2tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
½cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil into a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet or 8-inch square baking dish and use your hands to evenly coat the bottom and sides.
Step 2
Combine the polenta, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups of water in the pan. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
Step 3
Whisk in the butter and cheese, if using, and continue to bake for 5 minutes more. Whisk again, then taste and season with additional salt as needed. Serve immediately.

Ratings

5 out of 5

190 user ratings

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Comments

-e-2 months ago

I've been baking polenta for years- it's an absolute breakthrough! One crucial thing this recipe leaves out is that you need to salt the water the polenta cooks in, not just at the end! Polenta cooked in plain water is oddly flavorless a way that salting afterwards does to fix. I stir in 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of salt at the very start, whisk the polenta at the 20 minute mark, and then whisk again, adding butter and parm, when done...

MK2 months ago

I’ve been cooking polenta in the oven for years. One handy tip is to have an oiled sheet pan ready when it comes out of the oven. I always make extra, and after serving, I spread the extra about 1” thick on the sheet pan. It sets up firm while we eat dinner, and can be cut into squares for easy reheating for another meal. Just sauté or grill.

Barbara Marmor2 months ago

We also having been baking polenta for years, adding salt to cooking liquid, and stirring midway to help things along. But our added trick is half water and half milk. Makes an incredibly creamy polenta!

ja3 weeks ago

is coarse cornmeal the same as coarse polenta? i last made stovetop polenta with the former but just checking…

R. McKean1 month ago

Has anybody done this with Bob's Red Mill Coarse cornbread? I tried last night and did not much like the result. After 55 minutes baking or so, the polenta was thin, watery, grainy. What brand of coarse polenta are people using?

Maggie1 month ago

What can I use instead of a cast iron skillet?

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