You won’t catch me stirring a bubbling and spitting pot of polenta again. Oven baking it is so much cleaner and more convenient. Plus, you don’t need special polenta — just use regular cornmeal.
The recipe called for 1/4 c milk to be stirred in after the polenta is baked, but I forgot to do that and the texture was just fine. You could add that if you wanted it a little richer and creamier.
You might also like to add some chopped fresh herbs, a bit of grated parmesan cheese, or some roasted garlic after it’s baked.
Oven-Baked Polenta
Adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
- 3/4 c cornmeal
- 3 c water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 T butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk together cornmeal, water, salt, and pepper in 2-quart glass baking dish or casserole. Tightly cover — I used tin foil, because my dish doesn’t have its own. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Whisk in butter and serve.