If youโre looking for a light, savory dish side thatโs sure to impress your loved ones, you canโt go wrong with Parmesan Polenta and Mushrooms!
This easy, Italian-inspired recipe takes about 15 minutes to make and is packed full of delicious flavors. Not only is this dish a crowd-pleaser, itโs also super healthy, gluten-free, and made with simple ingredients.
Potatoes, rice, and pasta are all delicious go to staples. But, sometimes you need to shake up your side dish game.
This Parmesan Polenta with mushrooms is simple to make and pairs delightfully with a variety of other dishes.
What is polenta?
Polenta is a thick ground cornmeal, similar in texture to grits. It is delicious, versatile and easy to make. IF you know the one trick.
In Northern Italy, polenta is more commonly served than pasta. At least it was for my family. My grandfather had it growing up there as a child and he frequently made it for his family growing up.
You can buy it in ready made tubes to just heat and eat. Or get it dry and cook it yourself.
The recipe below is for uncooked polenta. You can heat ready made polenta and add butter, parmesan cheese, and mushrooms instead.
Tips for making polenta
There really is only one tip to making polenta, but it is critical.
Always add dry polenta gradually into the boiling water while stirring constantly.
If you dump it all in at once, the second it hits the water it is going to clump and you will end up with a lumpy mess that is almost impossible to smooth out.
Learn from my mistakes.
Just sprinkle it on top with one hand while you stir with the other and you'll be fine.
What to serve with Parmesan Polenta
I served this with the One Pan Chicken and Tomatoes, but it would also be delicious with:
You could keep it simple and top it with some sauce as you would pasta:
Try it for breakfast either alone (like I did with the leftovers) or maybe with some Eggs in Purgatory.
More Mushroom Recipes from #OurFamilyTable
Whether you add them in to your dish, or make them the star of the show mushrooms add a delicious bit of umami to any meal. Try these marvelous mushroom recipes:
Must Make Mushroom Recipes
- Balsamic Steak and Mushroom Bites from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Crab Fakes - Lions Mane Mushroom Crab Cakes from Pandemonium Noshery
- Creamy Garlic Mushrooms from Jen Around the World
- Parmesan Polenta with Mushrooms from That Recipe
- Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms from Art of Natural Living
- Slow Cooker Wine-Braised Short Ribs from Palatable Pastime
We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounce fresh mushrooms (sliced)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked polenta
- ยฝ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms until soft, 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Add the water to the pan and bring to a boil. Sprinkle the polenta over the top and stir in immediately. Do not dump it in, it will clump and you will be sad.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until polenta is thick, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in butter, Parmesan cheese and mushrooms. Serve.
Sound fabulous? Share it!
Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
Marilyn Lesniak
This week is Graduation Party Ideas. I am sharing a Patriotic Trifle from Weight Watchers, a Coconut Cheesecake with Mango Sauce, and my Beef Brisket Hungarian Goulash. Thanks for hosting. Have a lovely evening!
Christie
I LOVE polenta! But I don't make it enough. This one looks super delish with the mushrooms in there.