What’s delicious, easy to make and totally cheap? Polenta!

Polenta is a versatile staple made from ground corn that can serve as an appetizer, side or main dish, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

It can be seasoned to be sweet or savory. Polenta can be served soft, like mashed potatoes, or cooled and sliced into pieces. You can also bake it into crispy fries!

 

 

Also, polenta is ideal to serve to a crowd. It’s very inexpensive, can be made dairy free, is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. (Only corn allergies need apply!)

 

For frugality’s sake, here’s the simplest and least expensive recipe for making polenta.  At 20 cents per one cup serving, there are so many wonderful things you can do with this amazing food. In other words, you can afford to try them all!

SIMPLE POLENTA

 

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 8

 

Here’s the recipe for the simplest polenta. It’s made with salted water and a bit of butter.  It doesn’t get much more frugal and fabulous than that.

 

What You’ll Need:

• 6 cups water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon butter

 

 

Here’s How:

1. First, bring the water to a boil and add the salt. Then reduce the heat to low.
2. Next, add the cornmeal in a steady slow stream. Whisk constantly to avoid lumps.
3. Keep stirring on low heat until it’s really thick. Be careful because it will bubble and splash! This could take 20 minutes or so.
4. Add the butter as it thickens.  You can tell it’s done when it pulls away from the sides of the pot.

 

Finally, when it’s ready, you can serve it right from the pot like mashed potatoes, or spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan and allow it to cool.

 

THAT’S IT!!!

No baking, nothing. Let it sit about 10 minutes. Cut the pan into 12-15 squares. You can top polenta with all kinds of good stuff!! Divalicious!

This simple polenta is a perfect side dish for London Broil

 

 

 

 Bacon Lollipops would be AMAZING served with polenta as an appetizer or first course.

 

You can also gussie it up with toppings or just serve it plain.

 

 

With this in mind, what else can you add to polenta, you ask?

 

Well, it depends on if you want to serve your polenta sweet or savory.

To start, you can amp up the creaminess factor in any flavor profile.  Add more butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese or sour cream.

After which, for a sweeter flavor profile,  such as breakfast or dessert, you can add honey, maple syrup, jams or preserves, cinnamon, brown sugar, toasted nuts.

Furthermore, you can add parmesan cheese, or any kind of cheese, fresh herbs, caramelized onions, salsa, bacon crumbles or diced ham for a more savory flavor profile.

 

Subsequently, it’s not just what you put in your polenta, it’s also what you top it with

 

For example, you can top polenta with poached eggs, roast vegetables, sautéed greens, sautéed mushrooms, beef ragu, creamed chicken, pulled pork.  The list goes on and on.

I told you this was versatile! 

 

Of course you can pay for pre-made polenta in a roll, but please don’t! Otherwise I will have to smack your snout with a rolled-up newspaper and say, “Bad Diva!”.

 

In short, it’s so easy to make yourself. Also, it’ll taste much better at a fraction of the cost. Good Diva.

 

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