Grilled Polenta With Marinara, Parmesan, and Basil Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 30, 2018
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Joshua Bousel

Rich and flavorful polenta is grilled then topped with marinara, basil, and parmesan to give this side dish the hearty feeling of a whole, satisfying meal.

Recipe Details

Grilled Polenta With Marinara, Parmesan, and Basil Recipe

Active 60 mins
Total 4 hrs
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chicken stock

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal

  • 1 cup grated Parmesan, divided

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • Kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 cup marinara sauce

  • 1/4 cup finely sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions

  1. Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture has thickened, 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  2. Pour polenta into a 10-inch round cake pan and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until completely chilled and firm, 2 to 3 hours or up to overnight.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all burners on a gas grill to medium high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Remove polenta from pan and cut into 8 equal slices. Brush slices on both sides with olive oil and place on grill. Cook until polenta browns, about 3 minutes per side.

  4. Transfer polenta to a platter. Top each slice with a dollop of marinara sauce, basil chiffonade, and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Serve immediately while warm.

Special Equipment

Grill

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
353 Calories
19g Fat
33g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 353
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 8g 42%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 1115mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 249mg 19%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 412mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)