Polenta ai Funghi
Soft polenta with sauteed mushrooms
Ingredients
- 200 g Polenta
- 1000 ml Vegetable stock
- 40 g Butter
- 50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 400 g Button mushrooms
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Slice the mushrooms and chop the garlic.
- Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a heavy pot, then pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. Season with the salt.
- Cook the polenta on low heat, stirring often, until thick and smooth, about 30 minutes.
- While the polenta cooks, sear the mushrooms in the olive oil over high heat until browned, then add the garlic and thyme, about 8 minutes.
- Beat the butter and parmesan into the polenta off the heat.
- Spoon the polenta into bowls and top with the mushrooms.
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About Polenta ai Funghi
Polenta ai funghi is a northern Italian comfort dish of soft, creamy polenta topped with a heap of garlicky seared mushrooms. Polenta, coarse-ground cornmeal cooked slowly in liquid, is a staple of Italy's alpine and Po Valley regions, and here it is simmered in vegetable stock and stirred often until thick and smooth before being enriched off the heat with butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The mushrooms are cooked separately over high heat so they brown properly rather than steam, then finished with garlic and thyme. Keeping the two components apart until the end preserves the contrast between the soft base and the crisp-edged topping.
Spooned into bowls, it is warm and soothing — the polenta loose and creamy, almost like a savory porridge, carrying the salty depth of parmesan, while the mushrooms add an earthy, umami-rich chew on top. It is vegetarian but deeply satisfying, the sort of unhurried food for a cold evening. Traditionally polenta is a peasant dish stretched with whatever tops it, and mushrooms make one of its most classic partners. The technique that matters most is whisking the polenta in a steady stream to avoid lumps and searing the mushrooms hard for real browning, both of which this recipe is built around.
Polenta ai Funghi: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Polenta ai Funghi?
A serving has about 440 calories — 12.3g protein, 46g carbs, 24g fat, 5.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Polenta ai Funghi gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Polenta ai Funghi has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Polenta ai Funghi dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How many servings does Polenta ai Funghi make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.