Have Easy Oven Baked Creamy Polenta ready to enjoy in an hour and never stir hot boiling polenta on the stovetop again! Follow my easy instructions, tips as well as serving suggestions for the perfect no stir polenta.
Did you know that you can oven bake polenta instead of boiling it? My mother spent at least half an hour stirring hot molten lava polenta for years. That is until an encounter with my dear friends's mother many years ago who shared with the her this wonderful technique for making the easiest baked polenta ever!
I had actually not tried it myself until recently. It really works! Once you try it for yourself, you'll never go back to stirring hot bubbling polenta over a stove again.
There's really nothing to it. Just stir all the ingredients together, place in the oven and forget about it for an hour. Of course, baked polenta takes longer to cook than stove polenta. But think of all the other things you'll be able to get done while it's baking.
What is polenta?
Polenta is originally from northern Italy and is basically a cornmeal porridge made with ground corn cooked in water. Cornmeal is available both coarse or finely ground.
It has a mild corn flavor which makes it excellent for serving as a bed for saucy dishes such as osso buco; chicken cacciatore; or meatballs.
Cornmeal is also gluten-free and therefore polenta is a great option for those who need to follow a gluten free diet. Just be sure to carefully read the label as cross-contamination may occur if the manufacturer also processes wheat products.
Polenta in Sicily
So why is a girl of Sicilian origin posting about polenta, you may wonder? True, polenta is typically associated with Northern Italy. However, I've been enjoying polenta all my life.
I took the time to ask my mom if they ate polenta when she was growing up in Sicily. The answer is yes! Let me share what I learned.
Polenta was a common staple not only in Northern Italy but in Sicily as well. My grandparents actually grew corn on their land. Once harvested, the corn was dried and stone ground to make cornmeal. Some of that dried corn was also set aside for feeding their chickens.
Cornmeal was easily stored and kept for a long time since it was dry, therefore it was often enjoyed as polenta during the winter months. No fancy cheeses, butter or sauces were added to their polenta as we are now used to. It was served plain, simply topped with a drizzle of olive oil. At times my grandmother stirred in cooked greens from their garden, when available.
It was easy to make, plentiful and filling and therefore made for the perfect winter meal.
How to make Easy Oven Baked Creamy Polenta:
The following are step by step instructions on how to make this dish, however you'll find the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Here's what you need: cornmeal; water; salt and olive oil. I prefer a more course textured cornmeal rather than fine cornmeal, but either works well. I used a 2 quart round casserole dish to bake the polenta.
Preheat oven to 400F. In a casserole dish, combine cornmeal, water, salt and olive oil. Stir with a whisk. The corn flour will sink to the bottom of the dish, this is normal.
Place in the oven for 1 hour and forget about it. Absolutely no stirring required!
When you remove it from the oven, you'll notice that the olive oil pools on the surface of the polenta. Also, the polenta will be more firm around the edges and softer in the middle. Simply give it a stir with a wooden spoon and you're ready to enjoy your polenta. That's it!
Recipe Notes
Tips and suggestions:
- Polenta is traditionally made with water, however part of the water may be replaced by milk or chicken broth or a combination of both.
- It is not necessary to stir the polenta while baking.
- When the polenta is ready, it will be more firm and dry around the edges and softer in the middle. Simply stir it when you take it out of the oven.
- This recipe will yield approximately 4 cups of polenta.
- You can easily double this recipe and bake it in a larger casserole dish.
How to Serve Polenta
While I must admit, I enjoy my polenta as is, right out of the oven, there are definitely lots of ways to add flavor to your polenta as well as serve it. Here are a few suggestions:
- Omit the olive oil in the first step of the recipe and stir in a spoonful of butter as well as grated Parmigiano and/or Pecorino cheese (or cheese of your choice) at the end of cooking.
- Add freshly chopped herbs such as parsley, chives or thyme.
- Top with garlicky sautéed greens such as rapini.
- Serve with a meat sauce or tomato sauce with sausage added to it.
- In Northern Italy, I enjoyed polenta topped with grated Fontina cheese and gratinéed. Incredibly decadent and delicious!
- Serve as a bed for veal osso buco, chicken cacciatore ; my mom's famous meatballs with tomato sauce.; or transform it into this decadent polenta lasagna!
How long does polenta keep for?
Leftover polenta keeps well refrigerated for up to 5 days.
How to reheat polenta:
For creamy polenta: Place the polenta in a pan on the stove top, stir in some water, milk or chicken broth, cover and cook until heated through.
For firm polenta: You'll notice that your leftover polenta will become firm once refrigerated. It can be sliced and pan fried until crisp or grilled. Pat dry the polenta with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture to prevent it from splattering when frying.
When you try out this recipe let me know how much you enjoyed it by please rating it in the recipe card below! Feel free to Pin the recipe for later. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal medium grind
- 5 cups cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a casserole dish, combine cornmeal, water, salt and olive oil. Stir with a whisk. The cornmeal will sink to the bottom of the dish, this is normal.
- Place in the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour. No stirring is required.
- Remove from the oven and give it a stir. Serve hot.
Notes
Tips and suggestions:
- Polenta is traditionally made with water, however part of the water may be replaced by milk or chicken broth or a combination of both.
- It is not necessary to stir the polenta while baking.
- When the polenta is ready, it will be more firm and dry around the edges and softer in the middle. Simply stir it when you take it out of the oven.
- This recipe will yield approximately 4 cups of polenta.
- You can easily double this recipe and bake it in a larger casserole dish.
How to Serve Easy Oven Baked Creamy Polenta
While I must admit, I enjoy my polenta as is, right out of the oven, there are definitely lots of ways to add flavor to your polenta as well as serve it. Here are a few suggestions:- Omit the olive oil in the first step of the recipe and stir in a spoonful of butter as well as grated Parmigiano and/or Pecorino cheese (or cheese of your choice) at the end of cooking.
- Add freshly chopped herbs such as parsley, chives or thyme.
- Top with garlicky sautéed greens such as rapini.
- Serve with a meat sauce or tomato sauce with sausage added to it.
- In Northern Italy, I enjoyed polenta topped with grated Fontina cheese and gratinéed. Incredibly decadent and delicious!
- Serve as a bed for veal osso buco, chicken cacciatore or my mom's famous meatballs with tomato sauce.
Peter Rappazzo
Easily the best way to make polenta!
Tastes great!!!
Nadia
Thank you Peter, it is indeed easy and tasty!
Maria
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. I’ve been making it weekly. Amazing!🙂
Nadia
Thank you Maria I'm so glad you enjoyed this easy recipe!
Marilyn Stopp
I can’t believe how easy this recipe is! No more stirring over boiling broth! No more lumps! I love it!!
Thanks for sharing…
Nadia
So glad you discovered this easy recipe Marilyn, it is a game changer when it comes to making polenta. Thank you for your comment!
Wendy Thurston-Werry
First time making polenta. When I took it out of the oven it looked so "soupy". I thought I've added too much water. But placed it to cool and it firmed up. I then formed it in patties and fried in EVO & butter and served with meatballs and San Marzano marinara.
DELISH! Lovely easy recipe. Thank you.❤️🐾❤️🐾
Nadia
Hi Wendy, yes in facti it does look soupy at first but it thickens nicely at the end of cooking. Love the way you served it, sounds delicious. Thank you!
Margie
very easy and DELICIOUS. I love that this recipe is so simple but comes out creamy and scrumptious. Great to pair with roasted veggies or meat or eggs. Thank you for this yummy polenta recipe.
Nadia
Hi Margie, I'm glad you discovered this easy polenta recipe! Like you I alaso like to pair it with roasted veggies for an easy meal. Thank you for commenting!
Melanie
Even if I babysit my polenta on the stovetop, it still manages to stick. It's annoying because it means less polenta for me to eat. I decided to try this recipe on a whim after reading mixed reviews on baked polenta from all over the web and it's a winner! There was a little sticking when I took it out of the oven, but after stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, it was fine. I added some goat cheese and served with baked ratatouille which was perfect because they cooked at the same temp. Thanks!
Nadia
Hi Melanie, I'm so glad you gave it a try. Indeed I'll never go back to stirring polenta again. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I think it's a perfect pairing for ratatouille!
Maria
This was absolutely divine. Better than my Nonna's. Don't tell!
Thanks
Nadia
Hello Maria, so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Perhaps you can share the recipe with your nonna? After all this recipe was shared by another nonna with my mom so I'm sure she'd approve. Grazie!
JudeT
Just follow the recipe and you’ll have a wonderful textured and tasty polenta with minimal effort. Brilliant, totally a keeper recipe.
Nadia
Thank you very much, I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed this easy polenta recipe!
ILAN
after "spending at least half an hour stirring hot molten lava polenta for years", it occurred to me that there must be a fire and forget method
worked wonderfully, but I'll try 50 minutes only next time, of which there will be many!
P.S. I never 'dive' deeper into web sites such as this after trying one recipe, BUT I'll have to try and make the panelle
Nadia
Hello Ilan, I've always said this recipe is a game changer when it comes to preparing polenta and I'm so glad you agree! I do hope you enjoy the panelle as well. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Mary
I'm from Western Pennsylvania and we cooked bits of pork or chicken in the corn meal. This is called Paunhaus and eaten sliced and fried. We also eat it with syrup.
Nadia
Hello Mary, that sounds delicious! I have heard this before from another reader, interesting to hear how many different ways there are to enjoy polenta. Thanks for sharing!
Carla Scagnelli
Love the recipe! Have tried polenta on stove but I am new to the electric stove and it came out terrible! Oven version is creamy, easy, and delicious.
I used chicken stock and mascarpone for creaminess, some Parmesan was great. Served over braised short ribs makes a great cold weather meal😀
Nadia
Hi Carla, this is definitely a game changer when it comes to making polenta and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And your variations sound delicious, so many wondderful ways to flavor polenta!
Sara Gadeken
As a child we called this corn meal mush and ate it for breakfast with syrup. As college student and later wife and mother without much money, we poured it in a loaf pan, refrigerated it, sliced it, rolled it in flour, and fried it for a long time until it was crispy on the surface but soft within. We ate it for supper with a bean dish and therefore had a delicious meal for very little money. I haven’t made it for years. Must try it again.
Nadia
I’ve never served it with syrup but I imagine it must be delicious! I love polenta served any way, thanks for sharing!
Julie
Can I cut the recipe in half? I want to
Make it for two people.
Nadia
Hello Julie, you most definitely can however you may enjoy having some leftover as well. Hope you enjoy it!
Sylvia
Thanks for this recipe
In the Caribbean we cook our cornmeal with okra and serve with either steam or fried fish. It is called by different name: cou cou in Barbados, fungi in another island or turn corn in another .
With Easter coming up, this would be a dish that we would have
I love it, but the thought of standing by the stove for so long makes it too much of an effort to cook.
My plan for this Easter is to cook it with seasoned okra (homemade seasoning consisted of spring onions, sweet peppers, garlic, olive oil and fish seasoning combined in a food processor)
Add the home made seasoning to the pot, add the okra and stir well, add the coconut milk, then the cornmeal, stir thoroughly and pour in Pyrex dish and baked for one hour in oven.
To be served with my oven baked fish and lots of gravy
Nadia
Hello Sylvia, thanks for sharing how you serve your cornmeal. It sounds delicious! I agree, I don't like the idea of standing in front of the stove of hot bubbling lava like cornmeal either! Hope you enjoy this easy version and happy Easter to you and yours!
Teodora
I tried this but after 35 minutes it was already super dry and crispy so I added more water and put a lid on top so it would steam. Hopefully it turns out well (it still has 20 min to go now)
Nadia
Hi Teodora, just wondering if you stir it was it still creamy after 35 minutes? It sometimes forms a small crust around the edge of the dish but is still quite creamy when stirred. Of course every oven is different so it may take less time in yours. Please let me know how it turns out or if I can be of help. Thanks!
Teodora
No, it had a crust all over and the edges were dry. With extra water and a bit of butter it's nice and creamy now 🙂 I think indeed my oven got hotter or I put the dish too high. But it's great, and I didn't have to keep stirring it on the stove, so I'm happy 😊
Nadia
It seems like it needed some adjusting according to your oven but I’m glad it turned out well. It’s definitely easier than stirring it. Enjoy and thanks for your feedback, it is appreciated!
Carmen Palmieri
Thank you for the recipe for easy fool proof polenta. Do you cover the polenta while cooking?
Nadia
Hi Carmen you’re welcome! No I don’t cover the polenta while it bakes. Hope you enjoy it!
Kimberly
Game changer! Thanks so much! I added Fontina and a bit of butter after it baked. It’s so much easier than stirring and stirring on the stove and the result is delicious!
Nadia
Hi Kimberly, I agree it is a total game changer and making polenta has never been so easy. I love your idea of adding cheese and a bit of butter. This recipe is easy to customize according to your taste. Thanks for your feedback!
benedict
hello
probably a stupid question - but do you bake it with the lid on the casserole dish, or off? trying for the first time, with lid off. Lid off =oven roof spattered with burnt gloop; lid on = too runny, since no evaporation?
thanks for the idea anyway!
Nadia
Hi Benedict, no not a stupid question at all! I baked it uncovered however mine does not splatter at all. Of course every oven is different so perhaps yours is too strong at 400F? As you mentioned it would be too runny if you leave the lid on, so I would probably lower the temperature next time, maybe try 375F. Sorry about the mess in your oven!
benedict
Hi Nadia
lid was off, it didn't spatter, result excellent in every way. Thanks for expanding the repertoire! it was to go with a good Ottolenghi recipe, chicken roast with preserved lemon and thyme butter [so quite strong taste]
all best
Ben
Nadia
Hi Benedict, glad to hear it! That chicken recipe sounds amazing and I can imagine how it pairs well with polenta. Will look into it, thanks for sharing!
benedict a critchley
have just tried same proportions of polenta/liquid and cooked in a slow cooker for a couple of hours. Came out like in your pics, but a bit runnier so would reduce water quantity.
thanks for getting me started!
Nadia
Hi Benedict, thank you for sharing this and great idea. I had not considered the slow cooker! I'm sure my readers will appreciate this info.
Jeanne Tolomeo
Wonderful! I can make polenta in the oven. How cool is that! No more burns from cooking it on top of the stove! Yummy. Will be having polenta as it is both vegan and gluten free!
Nadia
Hello Jeanne, yes it is wonderful and I find myself making polenta a lot more often now that I have discovered this easy way thank to my mom. So much easier and no burns!
Anna Bucciarelli
I LOVE polenta! Plain, or dressed in different ways as you suggest. If I ever have any left over, I like to cut it into squares and brown them in a skillet with a bare smudge of EVOO or butter, have that for a hearty breakfast I do always cook it stove top but now am anxious to try your oven method. I will be trying this very soon and I know it will be wonderful. Thank you Nadia.
Nadia
Anna I love polenta too and I devoured lots of it plain while testing this recipe! My daughter also loves it browned the next day. Let me know what you think of this method when you try it. It's so much easier! Thanks Anna!