This Mushroom Polenta recipe pairs sautéed shallots and mushrooms with creamy Parmesan polenta and fresh thyme. It’s naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, but everyone will devour it! It’s screams cozy comfort food!
My first impression of polenta wasn’t a great one. It did not look appealing, nor did it sound like it would be very flavorful. I mean really, it’s just cornmeal, how much flavor can it have? But then I took a bite and was instantly smitten. I had it for the first time in Napa when we went to Bottega, Michael Chiarello’s restaurant. It was creamy, cheesy, and I knew right then and there that I had to try and recreate that polenta at home, which is how this Mushroom Polenta recipe came to be. It makes for a satisfying meatless main, or you can add a protein like Lemon Rosemary Chicken for the meat eaters!
Why This Rustic Polenta Recipe Deserves a Spot on Your Menu
If you’re like I used to be and feeling a little skeptical about the whole polenta thing, you really need to try this recipe! Here’s what makes it so good.
- Comfort food, but a little bit fancy. Maybe it’s because it’s Italian, but even though this is total comfort food (like Mashed Potatoes!), it feels elevated and has a way of making a weeknight dinner much more special.
- The most delicious mushrooms. Sautéing the mushrooms with butter and oil gives them SO much flavor; the liquids cook off and you’re left with meaty, succulent mushrooms flavored with sweet-and-savory shallot and woodsy fresh thyme.
- Cheesy, creamy polenta. Polenta is all about the flavors you add to it and in this recipe, we add butter and Parmesan, which makes it rich, creamy, cheesy, and slightly nutty. (It also pairs well with pesto in these Pesto Polenta Bites with Tomato Bruschetta!)
What You’ll Need
This recipe is a fun way to use some of the unique mushroom varieties you might find at the farmers market or specialty grocery stores! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Parmesan Polenta:
- Vegetable broth – This adds more flavor to the polenta than water alone.
- Polenta – Be sure to buy the dry kind, not the kind that’s sold in tubes, which is already cooked.
- Salt
- Water
- Unsalted butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use that and just add less salt.
- Shredded Parmesan – Shred it yourself from a block of Parm if you have time. The flavor and texture are so much better!
Thyme Mushrooms:
- Olive oil
- Shallots – Yellow onions are the best substitute for shallots if you can’t find them.
- Mushrooms – I used a combination of baby bella and hen of the woods mushrooms in the photos, but I’ve also made this with shiitake mushrooms. That said, beech mushrooms or other wild mushrooms will work too.
- Unsalted butter – Adding butter to mushrooms makes them rich and flavorful. Don’t skip it!
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme – Sage and rosemary also pair well with mushrooms if you happen to have those on hand instead.
- Salt
How to Make Mushroom Polenta
Get ready for a cozy, satisfying meatless dinner! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Bring the broth to a boil. Add the broth to a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then slowly whisk in the polenta and salt.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk in 1/2 cup of water and continue to simmer another 15 minutes.
- Soften the shallots. Add the oil and shallots to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for a minute or two, until the shallots are softened and translucent.
- Sauté the mushrooms. Stir the mushrooms into the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the butter, garlic, thyme, and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes more, until the mushrooms are browned.
- Finish the polenta. Stir in the butter and Parmesan.
- Serve. Place the polenta in a serving bowl and top with the mushrooms. Garnish with additional Parmesan and thyme.
Tips and Variations
These pointers will make sure your mushroom polenta turns out perfect.
- Slowly whisk in the polenta. You don’t want to dump it into the broth all at once or you’re likely to end up with clumps! Whisk it in sloooowly.
- Stir frequently. This is important for a creamy consistency and for keeping the polenta from sticking to the sides and bottom of the pan.
- A low simmer is key. If the heat is too high, the polenta will bubble and spatter all over your stove.
- Make it meaty. Cook crumbled sausage with the mushrooms for a meatier version of this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Although this mushroom polenta is a meal by itself, you can pair it with proteins like Air Fryer Chicken Breast or New York Strip Steak with Balsamic Reduction, or keep your dinner vegetarian by serving it with a simple side salad like Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan Lemon Butter Sauce or Arugula Salad.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze leftovers in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Polenta solidifies when it cools. You can work with this and eat it that way—kind of like a polenta cake topped with mushrooms—or you can restore the original creaminess by stirring in broth before reheating. I recommend warming this up in the microwave, but if you add the broth, you can also warm it in a pan on the stove over medium-low heat.
More Meatless Meals to Try
Mushroom Polenta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Mushroom Polenta recipe is a hearty meatless meal that pairs sautéed wild mushrooms with creamy Parmesan polenta and thyme. So good!
Ingredients
Parmesan Polenta:
- 3 cup of vegetable broth
- 1 cup of polenta
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan
Thyme Mushrooms:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of shallots, diced
- 8 oz of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 8 oz of hen of the woods mushrooms, sliced (or use beech mushrooms or shitake)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add vegetable broth to a medium size saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, slowly stir in polenta with a whisk as well as salt.
- Reduce heat and allow polenta to cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently so that the polenta does not stick to sides. After 15 minutes, whisk in 1/2 cup of water and continue to cook another 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat a large pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil and shallots. Saute for 1-2 minutes until shallots are translucent.
- Next add mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes.
- Add in butter, garlic, fresh thyme and salt. Saute another 3-4 minutes until mushrooms are browned and butter is evaporated. Set aside.
- Next, to the polenta, add in butter and 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan to taste.
- Serve polenta in a big bowl and top with mushroom mixture.
- Garnish with more parmesan and fresh thyme.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup + mushrooms
- Calories: 216
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 857 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
31 comments on “Parmesan Mushroom Polenta”
This is sooooo good and quick and easy to prepare!
Thanks Megan, super pumped that you liked it! 🙂
I’ve been wanting to make polenta! Pinning to try your yummy recipe:)
Thanks Michele, hope you enjoy it girl!
Polenta and mushrooms are a perfect comination. I love polenta, it is the one dish I remember eating as a child. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Maja, it really is an awesome combination. Kinda jealous that you had polenta all growing up, I just recently tried it!
Great looking dish Krista! Thanks for sharing it with us at Marvelous Monday! Pinned!!
Thanks Deb, and thank you for hosting each week. You ladies rock!
This looks wonderful, Krista! I have had polenta at restaurants but have never made my own. I think I’m going to have to try your recipe!
Oh.. you would love it andi and it is super easy to make!
Polenta is on regular rotation in our house; we’ve been big fans for years. I usually add a little milk or cream to the broth to make it extra creamy, and we eat it just like mashed potatoes. It’s so good under braised meat, like pork shoulder or lamb shanks! This version looks TDF, Krista, mushrooms are my favorite!
oh… I totally need to make this with my balsamic braised short ribs… yum! Thanks for the idea Allie, and the sweet comments as always!
I’ve had polenta on several occasions, but the experience wasn’t very memorable. I love the thyme and mushroom combo so this recipe def caught my attention! And you managed to make polenta look gorgeous!! Love your recipes, Krista!
Well hopefully this one will be memorable! 🙂 I know that the one I had in napa made a huge difference and now I’m already thinking of other things I can make this with. Thank you for the sweet comments Min, you always make my day!
Isn’t his Polenta Under Glass absolutely incredible?!?! The best part is that reduction sauce he serves with it. So happy to see you did your own recreation of it!!! Yum!
Oh… this one was totally different. I think he changes the menu every so often. But really… anything that he makes is awesome. Your version with reduction sauce sounds delicious. 🙂
I believe Krista is featuring in this recipe the polenta which accompanies an entree in the ever changing menu at Bottega. That polenta is excellent! However, Chris is talking about the “Polenta Under Glass” (my mouth is water just thinking about this), an item on the appetizer section. This is one of the things that Bottega is known for and an absolute MUST order when you go. The polenta and the accompanied reduction sauce is to die for!!!
Search YouTube for the term “Polenta Under Glass” for a description from the man himself, Michael Chiarello.
Krista, thanks for posting this recipe, I’m looking forward to making it sometime soon.
Thanks for the clarification Raymond, sounds like you’ve been to Bottega quite a bit. I’m jealous.. wish I lived closer to go. He is one of my favorite chefs!
Definitely gonna check out the polenta under glass because it sounds incredible.
Hope you enjoy this recipe!
I love polenta, but my husband ate too many bowls when he lived in Argentina, so the only reason the bag sits in my pantry is to keep pizza crusts from sticking to the baking pans. I’ll definitely pick up some mushrooms this week to make this on a night that he’s not home for dinner. Mmm!
haha… totally understand that one. 🙂 And great idea on the pizza crust thing, so smart! But you definitely need to whip it out and make this with the mushrooms.. yum!
This polenta looks so creamy and yummy! I keep meaning to try making polenta and can’t wait to try this one now. It sounds incredible with the lemon thyme mushrooms – awesome recipe Krista – pinned.
Thanks Kelly! And I just recently tried it and loved it, you will fall in love with this creamy recipe especially with that mushroom mixture on top. 🙂 Thanks for the pin Kelly!
First time I had polenta was in Italy and I feel in love with them! They are so versatile and you can add a lot of flavor to them! We make it all the time at home especially during the winter months. This looks amazing!
I don’t think I realized how versatile it was until I tried it, you can add almost anything to it! This is totally going to be a “go to” dish in the winter for us too Nancy!
I haven’t had polenta, per se, but I’ve definitely had grits and I love them! I absolutely love this dish, Krista. And of course, great photos! Pinned.
OH gritss…. I almost talked about that in the post. Its a southern thing, I never even heard of it till I came down here, and they are perfect for the morning! Thanks for the pin and sweet comments girl! 🙂
Ok, I’ve heard of this thing we call polenta… and have seen it in my fave store (3 counties away)… but have never tasted it. I think maybe I need to get out more. And, purchase it when I go down to shop next time. I’m all about the Parmesan… and everything else you have got going on, on this delectable dish! Especially love how it’s gluten free!
haha.. you and your 3 counties away grocery shopping. I don’t know how you do it, I’m sure a city girl. Need to be able to get to things in 15 minutes. 🙂 The next time you head into town you need to pick this up, it would go so good with your hubbies garlic meat spaghetti sauce… yum!!! {and of course this mushroom mixture} Thanks for the sweet comments girl!
I get my Bob’s Red Mill products on Amazon. And polenta? Oh, my. I can’t even…
I just want to reach through the screen and snatch of this plate, this polenta is so yummy looking Krista!
haha…. well thats a good thing! 🙂 Thanks so much Emily!