Making polenta could be described as a workout for your upper arms, since most recipes require lots of stirring. But making creamy polenta doesn’t have to be so much work. Our Creamy Oven-Baked Polenta is as simple as combining chicken broth and polenta in a baking dish and popping it into the oven. The dish only needs to be stirred once, and the end result is delicious, perfectly cooked polenta that you can use as a side dish or as a base for a hearty ragout (see Pork, Cider and Root Vegetable Ragout on this site.)
While our polenta is simply flavored with a little butter, salt and pepper, feel free to add shredded cheese, fresh herbs or finely chopped sundried tomatoes at the end of cooking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine chicken broth and polenta in a 3-quart oven-proof baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in the butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes 8 servings.