Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Thyme
A simple and impressive side dish. Creamy polenta is tossed with fresh thyme and grated Parmesan cheese making it perfectly savory.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 392kcal
Cost: $5
Ingredients
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed + more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- In a small to medium sized pot over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil and add chopped shallot. Saute for 2-3 minutes until color just starts to change, but not too dark.
- Add the chopped garlic, thyme leaves and red pepper flakes, if using and saute for another minute.
- Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in cornmeal and reduce heat to low-medium, if needed.
- Continue whisking for a good 5 minutes until polenta thickens. Then whisk in grated Parmesan, salt and pepper, butter and heavy cream.
- Continue whisking and turn heat off. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- When serving, garnish with an extra drizzle of olive oil, thyme leaves and a grating of Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Polenta is a blank canvas so use aromatics to increase it's flavor potential, such as stock, shallots, garlic and fresh herbs.
- As the polenta cools, it will thicken up. Add a bit more stock or cream and whisk it to thicken.
- To re-heat creamy polenta, just whisk in more stock or cream over low heat until it loosens and gets creamy.
- Parmesan is classic in cheesy polenta, but other cheeses such as shredded gouda and Gruyere would be fantastic.
- If you don't have heavy cream, sour cream or full fat yogurt is a good substitute.
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 841mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2mg