Active Time

　　10 minutes

　　Total Time

　　45 minutes

　　This simple recipe for buttery polenta comes from Italian cooking legend Marcella Hazan. It makes a pot of perfectly creamy porridge without requiring the constant stirring with a wooden spoon you’ll find in most classic recipes. Instead, this version relies on condensation from the boiling water (which builds up when you cover the pot) to soften the grains, so you only have to stir every few minutes. Once it’s cooked, just pull the pot off the stovetop and stir in some butter—though if you like cheesy polenta, you could grate in a big flurry of Parmesan cheese, or pecorino and black pepper for cacio e pepe vibes.

　　This easy recipe makes a spoonable soft polenta with a texture similar to American grits. (In fact, polenta, which is made from coarsely ground cornmeal, is essentially the same thing as grits, but made with yellow rather than white corn.) It makes a great side dish for any rich Italian main, like chicken cacciatore or this riff on porchetta. You can also turn it into a main dish by adding a meat- or veggie-laced ragù—or you could top Parmesan polenta with roasted zucchini, marinara, or pesto. However you choose to use it, this creamy polenta recipe is sure to become a staple in your kitchen.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　4 cups water

　　1 tsp. kosher salt

　　1 cup polenta (not quick-cooking) or yellow cornmeal (5 ounces)

　　2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

　　

Step 1

Bring water and salt to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, then add polenta in a thin stream, whisking. Cook over moderate heat, whisking, 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cover pan, then cook at a bare simmer, stirring with a long-handled spoon for 1 minute after every 10 minutes of cooking, 45 minutes total. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until incorporated.

　　

Step 2

Serve polenta warm.

　　Do ahead: Cooked polenta can be set aside for up to 20 minutes, covered, before it starts to firm up. If you have leftovers, spread them out in a casserole dish and refrigerate overnight so that they solidify into a firm cake; slice the solidified slab to make a crispy fried polenta appetizer or grilled polenta cakes later in the week. 

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was originally printed in the January 2007 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our comfort food favorites →