Sous vide is a great way to prepare polenta. It’s hands off and results in such a creamy side dish! With plenty of parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper, this is the perfect side to dishes like Sous Vide Short Ribs or Sous Vide Whole Chicken with Chimichurri.
Polenta is one of my favorite side dishes, especially with a saucy, stewed meat like Braised Pork Shanks or sausages. I also love top it with Sous Vide Poached Eggs and hot sauce for a delicious breakfast! If you’re looking for something fun and different, try using it in my Polenta Lasagna!
You might be wondering: is sous vide the right cooking method for polenta? While it does take longer than stovetop at 185 degrees F for 2 hours, this method is as simple as adding all the ingredients to a bag, cooking in a water bath, and stirring in some parmesan before serving. It’s nearly completely hands off! When cooking polenta on the stove top, it requires a lot more babysitting.
This recipe is from my cookbook Sous Vide Meal Prep. Make sure to snag a copy if you’re looking for more sous vide inspiration!
Sous Vide Meal Prep
This cookbook outlines my entire method for keeping your freezer stocked with ready to sous vide meals (and some great recipes to boot!).
What You’ll Need to Make Sous Vide Polenta
For equipment, you likely have everything you’ll need if you already cook sous vide. Here’s a breakdown:
- An immersion circulator
- A water bath container (I like ones with lids, especially for long, hot cooks like this)
- Zipper-top gallon-sized freezer bag
All of the ingredients will feel pretty familiar, too!
- Coarsely ground cornmeal (Technically, you an use any cornmeal, but I’ve had mixed results with the others. To be on the safe side, look for bags marked for polenta.)
- Milk (any milk is fine, but for richer polenta, use whole milk or even half and half)
- Chicken or vegetable stock
- Melted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Ground parmesan cheese
How to Sous Vide Polenta
This method may take longer to cook than stovetop polenta, but it’s so hands off and easy that it’s worth it!
Want a closer look at the arm method? Watch this video for a quick tutorial! With the polenta, position the bag so that the contents of the bag are hanging off the edge of a countertop, rather than lying the bag flat on the countertop.
Once sealed, it’s time to cook! To sous vide polenta, cook at 185 degrees F for 2 hours.
After sous viding, pour the polenta into a large serving bowl and stir in the parmesan cheese. That’s it!
What to Serve with Sous Vide Polenta
Polenta makes a wonderful base or side dish. Here are some ideas on how to use it!
Fall-Apart Sous Vide Short Ribs
Beer Braised Pork Shanks
Simple Polenta Lasagna Recipe
Sous Vide Whole Chicken (Spatchcocked)
You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story here.
Get the Recipe:
Creamy Sous Vide Polenta
Ingredients
- 1 cup polenta, (coarsely ground cornmeal)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups milk, 2%, whole, or half and half
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat a water bath using an immersion circulator to 185 degrees F.
- Add all ingredients except parmesan cheese to a bag of your choice. Remove the air from the bag by closing the zipper top until just an inch or so is open, arranging the bag so just the contents are hanging off the edge of your countertop, then sliding your arm from the edge of the countertop to the zipper to force the air out. Finish closing the bag. Shake bag to combine the ingredients.
- Add to the water bath and cook for 2 hours. I recommend securing with sous vide magnets to keep the bag from floating and to keep the zipper above the water. Cover the bath with a lid, plastic wrap, or foil.
- When finished, pour the contents of the bag into a serving bowl. Stir in the grated Parmesan. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with Sous Vide Short Ribs or Braised Pork Shanks.
