Hi everyone! Sometimes I get sick of having potatoes or rice or the same thing over and over for our side dishes. So, that’s where this garlic gouda polenta comes into play. We love this polenta recipe because it’s incredibly flavorful, easy, and it changes things up from the typical sides we usually have. So, let’s get started so that you have another side dish you can add to your arsenal.
Specialty Kitchen Equipment or Ingredients
For this garlic gouda polenta, the biggest thing you’ll want on hand is a potato masher. I use the pre-packaged tube of polenta for this recipe. Using a potato masher allows you to easily break down the polenta into fine crumbles. This way it ends up with the texture you’re looking for. Aside from that, you’ll also want to have a cheese grater and a garlic press. My absolute FAVORITE way to shred cheese is using our Hamilton Beach food processor. It only takes about 15 seconds to shred an entire block of gouda. Plus, my hands aren’t hurting afterward. Definitely one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. But I’ve also seen rave reviews about these hand crank cheese graters too.
For this polenta recipe, you’ll want to get a 24 oz tube of premade polenta. This is usually found either near the pasta section of the store or sometimes it’s near the produce section. But you do NOT want a box of polenta or grits that you have to make from scratch. I’m sure you could make it work, but I’ve never tried it with this specific recipe. So if you use a box of polenta or corn meal, there’s a chance the liquid to polenta ratio wouldn’t be correct.
Another specialty ingredient you want is high quality gouda. We usually buy ours from the specialty section of the store. Smoked gouda is our favorite, but there are a ton of variations. Pick the one that sounds the best to you!
Pictures of Garlic Gouda Polenta
First you start by sautéing some garlic in butter, then you mash the polenta. After that you’ll add milk, seasonings, cheese and butter. You want the polenta to be super creamy and rich when you’re done.
Recipe:
Garlic Gouda Polenta
Equipment
- Large pot
- Potato masher
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 24 oz tube of polenta do not use boxed cornmeal or polenta
- 3 cups whole milk, divided
- 2 cups shredded gouda cheese I prefer smoked gouda, but any high quality gouda will work. Do not use processed gouda.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- sliced green onion to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Once butter is melted, sauté garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add tube of polenta. Break the polenta up using a potato masher until it is fully broken into fine crumbles.
- Once polenta is fully broken down, add 1 cup of milk. Using the potato masher, mash until the milk is fully incorporated into the polenta. This should take 2-3 minutes or so.
- Add half of the gouda and 1 more cup of milk. Stir until milk is fully incorporated and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add remaining gouda, milk and all seasonings. Stir well until milk is fully incorporated and cheese is melted, another 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.
- Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter.
- Serve topped with green onions and more butter if desired.
- Enjoy!
This garlic gouda polenta is incredibly easy and flavorful. I love that it’s different from the standard rice, pasta, or potatoes that we usually see for side dishes. The creaminess and cheesiness truly make my heart happy, haha!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do here at Growing Up Garlicky. If you enjoy this recipe and want to see more, make sure you check out my recipes page or any of the posts down below. Also, if you’d like, you can subscribe for weekly updates where I post a new recipe every Friday. Also, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Your feedback is so important to me! Thanks everyone!
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So Im gonna try this one too!!! Ill let you know!!! Sounds so good!!!
I hope you like it! It’s one of my favorite easy sides! You may want to cut back the garlic though 😉😂
Going to try this tonight, and yes I’ve been instructed to back off on the garlic. ;( So sad ;(