This Cheesy Polenta Bake Turns a Humble Staple Into a Restaurant-Worthy Showstopper With a Golden, Crispy Crust
Cheese, herbs and creamy cornmeal make this Italian polenta the dish you’ll cook again and again.
Polenta is comfort food, sure, but give it cheese, herbs, and a little architecture and it suddenly reads like trattoria fare. This baked, layered version is simple to pull off and lands with that nice 'wait, you made this?' reaction. The method is classic, the effect feels fancier than the effort.
What you need
- Polenta (cornmeal), 300 g
- Water, 1.5 liters
- Salt, 1.5 tsp
- Hard cheese (Parmesan or similar), 200 g, grated
- Unsalted butter, 50 g (cold)
- Fresh herbs (a bunch of parsley and thyme), finely chopped
- Black pepper, to taste
- Vegetable oil, for greasing
Cook the base
Bring the salted water to a boil. Rain in the polenta in a thin stream while whisking so it stays smooth. Lower the heat and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for 30-40 minutes until thick and creamy.
Set it up
Rinse an 18 cm round mold or dish with cold water, then pour in the hot polenta and smooth the surface. Let it cool completely so it firms up, then ease it out of the mold.
Slice the set polenta horizontally into slabs about 1-1.5 cm thick. A sturdy piece of kitchen thread works well for this; a thin knife also does the job.
Layer like you mean it
Heat the oven to 200 C. Mix the grated cheese with the chopped herbs and black pepper.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly oil it. Lay down a slab of polenta, scatter over some of the cheese-herb mix, and repeat the layers. Finish with a polenta layer.
Top with the remaining cheese. Grate the cold butter on a fine grater right over the top so it melts into an even, golden crust.
Bake and serve
Bake at 200 C for about 25 minutes, until the top turns golden and crisp at the edges. Serve hot, ideally with a fresh vegetable salad alongside. Simple, rustic, and very easy to put on repeat.