I had never had polenta before, despite one of my good friends raving about its versatility. While her favorite way to make it comes via the already prepared tube, then sliced and grilled, i chose to try this recipe as my first polenta experience.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of this recipe. There is no reason to be scared of polenta! As usual, I added more cheese than the recipe. Feel free to follow my lead!
Parmesan Polenta
adapted from a Real Simple recipe
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup instant polenta
4 cups water
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Bring water to a boil on stove, add salt. Stirring constantly, add in the polenta. Cook, stirring constantly, until polenta thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, black pepper and butter. Cover and set aside until butter melts. Stir once more before serving.
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You can make an amazing lasagna by substituting the polenta for the noodles (though it ends up seeming more like a deep-dish pizza). Spread the polenta in a deep glass baking dish, add sauteed veggies and sauce, top with cheese and bake until the polenta is a little crispy and the cheese is golden brown.
Yum!