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Two bowls of polenta with greens, topped with grated Parmesan and crispy bread crumbs.
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5 / 4 votes

Polenta with Greens

Polenta with greens gives you so many things to love—creamy comfort, hearty greens, salty Parmesan and the umami bite of anchovies. All that, in less than an hour? Darn right.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Calories: 585

Ingredients

  • 7 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups polenta
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 to 4 bunches fresh hearty greens (kale, Swiss chard, beet or turnip greens, kohlrabi greens, etc.) (1 1/2 lbs | 680 g), stemmed if necessary, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
  • 8 to 10 olive-oil-packed anchovies*, rinsed and finely chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • 3/4 cup panko or rough homemade bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper
US - Metric

Instructions

  • In a medium pot over high heat, bring 6 cups of the water to a boil. Add the polenta and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, stirring gently to distribute the grains through the water.
  • Decrease the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the polenta loses its graininess, 35 to 40 minutes. If the polenta becomes very thick, gradually add the remaining cup of water during the final 10 minutes of cooking.
  • While the polenta cooks, bring a second large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the greens, bring the water back to a boil, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the greens are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: The greens will lose a significant amount of volume as they cook, but if it is easier, go ahead and cook the greens in batches, using a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked greens to a colander before starting the next batch.

  • Scoop out a cup of cooking water and reserve, then drain the greens in a colander. Return the pot to the stove.
  • In the same pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the anchovies and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes, if using, and decrease the heat to medium-low.
  • Add the bread crumbs to the anchovies and let them toast, stirring often, until they turn golden and soak up any remaining butter, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often to prevent the bread crumbs from burning. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture into a small bowl and return the pot to medium heat.
  • Return the drained greens to the pot. Stir in the olive oil, three-quarters of the Parmesan, three-quarters of the bread-crumb mixture, plenty of fresh pepper, and a splash of the greens’ cooking water.
  • Spoon the polenta into a large wide bowl or divvy between individual serving bowls and top with the remaining Parmesan. Spoon the greens over the polenta, and sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb mixture over the top.

Notes

*DO I HAVE TO USE ANCHOVIES IN MY POLENTA WITH GREENS?

If you’re not yet an anchovy lover, we urge you not to let that ingredient scare you away here. They’re very mellow and contribute a rich saltiness that’s hard to identify. We like to buy our anchovies in large round jars packed in oil. They last a long time in the pantry, and the salty oil is a bonus ingredient. As our Senior Tester Chiyo Ueyama said, “We enjoyed the ocean-y saltiness of anchovies (they’re NOT fishy—I cannot stress that enough).” Try it, you might like it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 466mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g