Mushroom Polenta
Try this mushroom polenta recipe, a Creamy Garlic Polenta with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Sage Brown Butter, for your next dinner party!
Creamy Cheesy Garlic Polenta topped with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Sage Brown Butter is a classic comfort side dish.
Mushroom Polenta
The chanterelle season in the Pacific Northwest begins as early as mid-summer at the higher elevation, and lasts to the first frost, typically until November. However, every year is different, and they are available year round. Just in time to make this creamy polenta recipe, it’s delicious with chanterelle mushrooms.
Why we love this recipe
- We love chanterelle mushrooms’ earthy, peppery, nutty flavor. This dish is perfect for mushroom lovers!
- The cheesy polenta is paired with a warm brown butter with crispy sage, the perfect combination.
- Makes an elegant main dish, or a hearty side dish.
What’s Polenta?
Polenta is an Italian cornmeal porridge made with stone-ground dried corn. The flavor of polenta is neutral, made into a savory dish. The addition of butter and cheese makes it creamy and soft. You may also want to try our Cheesy Garlic Polenta (if you aren’t a mushroom lover).
Gather these ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Onion + garlic
- Broth: chicken or vegetable
- Polenta
- Butter
- Parmesan cheese
- Whole milk
- Gruyere cheese
- Kosher salt
- Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms
- Salt
Brown Butter Sage Sauce:
- Butter
- Fresh sage leaves
- Salt & pepper
- Parmesan cheese
How do you make Mushroom Polenta?
- Heat oli over medium-high heat; when shimmery, add onions, reduce heat to medium, and stir. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minutes or so. When the aromatics have softened and the bottom of the pan begins to brown with fond, add the chicken stock and scrape the bottom.
- Bring the broth to a boil over high, then add the polenta, whisking constantly, to avoid clumping, before turning heat to low.
- Simmer until polenta is cooked to your desired texture—we prefer a bit al dente (soft with a hint of firmness in the center of the grain).
- The cook time will vary with the grind of your polenta. Courser grinds will take longer, up to 45 minutes, while a finer grind may only take 20 minutes or so.
- Remove from heat, stir in the milk, cheeses, and butter, and taste for salt. Cover and keep warm.
- Next, follow the instructions to make the mushrooms and the brown butter sage sauce.
Tips and Substitutions:
- Optional to use white button or cremini mushrooms.
- How to find mushrooms at the grocery store: Look for whole mushrooms that are smooth, but not wet and slimy, or dried out.
- Optional to use low sodium broth, but you may need to add a bit more salt.
- When cleaning mushrooms, we recommend using a paper towel, not rinsing the mushrooms, to ensure they are not too wet to properly brown. Additionally, you will likely need to cook the mushrooms in batches (even though it takes a bit more time) so you don’t crowd the pan and end up steaming rather than browning.
- Make sure to use a high smoke point oil when browning the mushrooms so they don’t take on a burnt oil flavor.
- For the Brown Butter Sage Sauce, I recommend using a pan with a light colored bottom, in order to see if any milk solids are sticking to the bottom and burning. This will allow you to watch the color as it changes from golden to toffee brown.
- Another indication that the butter is done is the nutty aroma it will give off after the top foams.
How do you serve Mushroom Polenta?
Plate your polenta in a pasta dish or shallow bowl, top with a generous amount of mushrooms, and drizzle with the browned butter, crispy sage leaves, and savory Parmesan.
More polenta recipes you may want to try:
Baked Turkey Meatballs served on a square of polenta
Grilled Polenta Caprese Appetizer
Enjoy!
Get the Recipe:
Mushroom Polenta
Ingredients
Basic Polenta
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 4-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup polenta
- 3 Tbsp butter, room temperature
- ½ c Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ c whole milk, warmed
- ½ c Gruyere cheese
- Kosher salt to taste
Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms
- 1 lb golden chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and torn into equal size pieces (1/2-1’’ thick)
- ¼ c neutral oil, vegetable, canola, avocado
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp butter
Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 6-8 large sage leaves, chiffonade
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ c Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Polenta:
- In a 2-3 qt pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil over medium-high heat. When shimmery, add onions, reduce heat to medium, and stir for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so. When the aromatics have softened and the bottom of the pan begins to brown with fond, add the chicken stock and scrape the bottom.
- Bring the broth to a boil over high, then add the polenta, whisking constantly, to avoid clumping, for about 3 minutes, before turning heat to low. Simmer, stirring every 8 minutes or so, until polenta is cooked to your desired texture—we prefer a bit al dente (soft with a hint of firmness in the center of the grain). The cook time will vary with the grind of your polenta. Courser grinds will take longer, up to 45 minutes, while a finer grind may only take 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat, stir in the milk, cheeses, and butter, and taste for salt. Cover and keep warm.
To cook the mushrooms
- Add ¼ c vegetable oil to a pan over high heat. Once shimmery, add mushrooms and toss in the oil. Spread into an even layer and lower heat to medium-high. Leave the mushrooms, undisturbed, for about 4-5 minutes, then toss. Add a pinch of salt and continue cooking over medium-low heat. Cook until the mushrooms are softened and brown—10-12 minutes. Add butter and toss once more. Remove from the heat and set aside. Repeat for remaining mushrooms.
Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- In a small saucepan, add butter over medium-high heat. Once fully melted, 2-3 minutes, add the sage leaves and reduce heat to medium. Stir frequently to avoid burning the milk solids on the bottom—the top layer of the butter will foam when it’s almost done. Once the leaves are crisp and the butter browned, remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Taste to adjust seasonings.
- Plate your polenta in a pasta dish or shallow bowl, top with a generous amount of mushrooms, and drizzle with the browned butter, crispy sage leaves, and savory Parmesan.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
