Polenta Cakes

These crispy pan-fried polenta cakes are served with a simple mushroom ragu. Elegant, delicious and easy, they’re the perfect comfort food side dish or appetizer.

When I think about polenta, typically a creamy bowl of a porridge-like mixture comes to mind. Something you’d serve underneath a short rib ragu or balsamic pulled pork. But polenta has a whole other side to it and it’s this crispy pan-fried cake side that always surprises me with how much I enjoy it.

If you’re making polenta from scratch, polenta cakes can be a great way to use up leftovers. If you’re buying polenta in the pre-cooked tube-shaped roll from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, these cakes are basically like the slice and bake version of chocolate chip cookies. But, it’s also just as easy to make these entirely from scratch as this recipe will show you how to do.

This combination of savory, perfectly crispy polenta cakes with the slightly creamy mushroom topping is out of this world delicious. One bite transports me back to visiting my family in Italy when I was studying abroad in college and the night my second cousin made us polenta with a cinghiale (wild boar) ragu that her husband had caught. It was such an unbelievably comforting dish. When I think of that trip, it’s my first memory.

Polenta Explained

Polenta is one of the simplest things to make. You literally just whisk water, milk or broth with polenta — which is identical to cornmeal except for the grain size — for a few minutes until it thickens into a beautifully hearty, luscious, almost porridge-type consistency.

If you just wanted polenta, you’d stop there (adding a generous pat of butter for luxuriousness) and use it as a base to any ragu/sauce or stew. It’s great for bolognese whether traditional, lentil or lamb-based. You can even eat it for breakfast in these strawberry coconut polenta bowls as an alternative to oatmeal.

If you’re making these polenta cakes though, you’re going to spread it out into a baking dish and chill it.

Once chilled, the polenta will be cut into circles or squares and then pan-fried in some butter and olive oil to get those crispy browned sides. At this point, you can serve the polenta cakes just like that with a dusting of parmesan or, like this recipe illustrates, with a savory mushroom topping.

Here’s What You’ll Need To Make These

There are two parts to this recipe: the polenta and the mushroom topping. Let’s go through each of them separately. Full ingredients and instructions are down below in the recipe card.

For The Polenta Cakes

• Polenta (or cornmeal) — if you can’t find dried polenta (not in the tube), cornmeal will also work. The texture will be grittier and the cooking time will be quicker but the end result is very similar.
• Broth — this can be chicken broth or vegetable broth.
• Milk — any kind will do.
• Bay leaf — optional but brings a nice flavor to the polenta as it cooks in the liquid.
• Parmesan cheese — use freshly grated here, not pre-shredded.
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

For The Mushroom Topping

• Mixture of fresh mushrooms — I used white button, baby portobello (cremini) and oyster mushrooms. Use a wild mushroom blend or any combination you like.
• Butter and olive oil — I like to use both fats when cooking mushrooms for flavor.
• Shallot — I find the milder flavor of shallots to go nicely with mushrooms instead of onions.
• Balsamic vinegar — A splash of acidity to the savory mushrooms balances the flavor of the mixture well.
• Chicken or vegetable broth — This creates a “saucy” texture to the topping.
• Fresh rosemary — Use any fresh herbs you like here but I also prefer rosemary with mushrooms.

How To Make Polenta Cakes

Start by bringing the milk, broth and bay leaf to a boil in a sauce pot. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes to allow the flavor of the bay leaf to infuse into the mixture. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Bring the liquid back to a boil and slowly pour in the polenta. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add in one tablespoon of the butter, all of the cheese and stir until melted.

Pour the polenta into 8×8-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper and spread evenly into all corners. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until the polenta is firm.

Remove the polenta by the parchment paper to a cutting board. Use a circular biscuit cutter or the rim of a greased glass to cut out circles in the polenta. Alternatively, you can cut the polenta into even squares.

If you’re using the pre-cooked tube polenta, simply slice it into circles and follow the remaining instruction below to pan-fry them.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot and the butter is melted, pan-fry each polenta cake until golden brown and crispy on each side. Add more oil and butter as needed to finish frying all of the polenta cakes. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

Once the polenta cakes are cooked, make the mushroom topping. Start by adding the butter and olive oil to the same skillet. Add the mushrooms and stir once then leave them be to cook down for about 10 minutes until they’re softened and have released and cooked off all their water.

Add the sliced shallots, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, cook another 2 minutes and finish with the fresh rosemary.

Serve the crispy polenta cakes with the cooked mushrooms and additional parmesan cheese.

Other Ways To Make Polenta Cakes

You can also make polenta cakes by baking or grilling the squares. I personally find pan-frying to be the quickest and easiest method.

If you wanted to bake these, I would grease a baking sheet, line the cakes up on the sheet, spray the tops with baking spray and bake at 400°-425°F for about 10 minutes per side. Spray the other side when you flip them over.

Grilling is similar in that I would grease the grates with oil really well first otherwise the polenta will stick to the grill. If you have a grilling mat, I would definitely grill them on that instead of directly on the grates.

More Ways To Enjoy Polenta

This cheddar polenta with sausage skillet is another delicious way to add polenta into your dinner plans.

Make these pistachio crusted lamb chops for any special occasion and serve with creamy polenta on the side.

Polenta is perfect to use as the base for any stew, but I especially like it with this Instant Pot beef and mushroom stew recipe.