Name: Instant Pot Minty Grilled Polenta Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 3 tbsp butter, divided; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tspn minced rosemary, fresh; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; 1 tbsp salt or to taste; 1/2 tspn Freshly ground black pepper; 1 sprig fresh mint leaves finely chopped; 4 cups vegetable broth; 1 cup 1 % milk; 1 cup medium or coarse cornmeal/polenta (5 ounces; 140g); 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese or fontina cheese; 1 tbsp olive oil for grilling

Instant Pot Minty Grilled Polenta Recipe

by Jyoti Sawant

This grilled Polenta is a healthy vegetarian side dish, flavored with herbs and garlic and is so easy to make. It goes really well with your barbeque main dishes, add a nice salad to the course to make a complete wholesome meal.

Polenta is a dish from Northern Italy. Polenta is made from cornmeal but it was originally made from other grains. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be refrigerated to be set into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled.

In this recipe that I have created, I first cooked the polenta in the Instant pot which makes life so much easier as it is a breeze to cook it in the Instant Pot. I then let it set and then pan grilled it to give a nice smoky texture that helps add a lot of character to the finished dish.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Herbed Polenta, cooked in the Instant Pot and then grilled to perfection:

A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal
PAT CONROY

Why make Polenta in the Instant Pot and what’s so good about this recipe?

Instant pot makes it so easy to make polenta. Once you have tried it in the Instant Pot, you will never go the stovetop way! Here is why you should make it in the Instant Pot.

Cooks Perfectly: Perfectly cooked each time, every time
Saves time: Polenta actually takes a while to cook, coarser the cornmeal the longer it takes to cook. Making it in the Instant Pot is a breeze.
No Babysitting and Safer: Polenta usually needs continuous stirring and babysitting, plus when it is really hot if you are not careful enough the hot polenta can spit out of the pot and scald you. Now all this can be totally avoided if you use an Instant Pot to make. Just dump things in the Instant Pot, close the lid and in no time, you will have creamy polenta ready.
More Flavorful: Making the polenta under pressure in the Instant pot blends all the flavors thus making it irresistibly delicious.
Vegetarian & Vegan Friendly: This garlicky polenta is a healthy vegetarian side dish. Vegans can substitute milk with soya milk.
Cooks Fast: When cooked in the Instant pot you get this perfectly cooked, creamy and thick polenta in just 30 minutes from start to end.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT MINTY GRILLED POLENTA – STEP BY STEP RECIPE

Step1: Sauté herbs and spices: Plug in the Instant Pot and remove the lid. Turn the Instant pot on and press the “Saute” mode, then press adjust and put it on high. Now add olive oil and butter. Add garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for a few seconds.

Step2: Add milk and broth: Add the vegetable broth and the milk and combine everything

Step3: Add polenta/cornmeal: Slowly whisk in the polenta/cornmeal. Combine everything.

Step4: Setting the Instant pot/ Pressure Cooker: Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it, switch the “Steam release handle” to Sealing/Close. Now press the “Pressure cook/Manual” function. Adjust the time using the “+ or -” key and select 0 minutes of cooking time. The default pressure level is set to “High” so don’t change it, change it to “High” incase it is set on “Low”. Once you select the time, wait till it says “ON” on the screen. Now the pressure will build and once the pressure builds, the timer will start counting down from 0. Since our cook time is only 0 minutes, the Instant Pot will beep a few times and automatically switch to “Keep Warm” mode. Now do the “Natural Pressure Release” (NPR-do not release pressure) for 10 minutes, after 10 minutes do “Quick Pressure Release” (Release Pressure). Once the pot has released the pressure and the safety pin has dropped, carefully open the lid.

Step5: Add butter: Press the cancel button on Instant pot to come out of the warm mode and select “Saute” button. Slowly stir in butter and combine. If polenta forms lumps, beat vigorously with a stiff whisk to remove the lumps. If polenta becomes too firm or begins to set, add a small amount of water, stock, or milk and beat in with a whisk until liquid is fully incorporated and no lumps remain.

Step6: Add cheese: Add the cheese and stir to combine. You can serve polenta just like this but if you wish to grill it then follow the steps below.

Step7: Transfer polenta in spring pan: Now remove the inner pot from the instant pot/ pressure cooker. Pour polenta into the springform pan. Refrigerate until firm. About an hour.

Step8: Remove Polenta from pan: Remove the polenta from the fridge one hour before grilling it. Loosen the edges of the polenta from the pan using a knife and open the springform.

Step9: Remove Polenta from pan: Cut polenta into wedges, using a sharp knife (or whatever shape you prefer).

Step10: Grill Polenta: Put wedges of polenta on a grill or a pan. Brush both sides with some olive oil. Grill the polenta a few minutes on each side until heated through and gets a nice golden crust on the top.

Step11: Serve: Serve hot immediately. Serve as a side or an appetizer. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!