042 / 75 · Rice, noodles and pasta
Sweetcorn and Cheddar Polenta
2 soft polenta bowls, each with half the cooked corn, cheese and complete porridge · Active 16 min · Cook 18 min · Total 40 min
Print recipe · PDFSweetcorn brings little bursts of sweetness to a soft cheddar polenta. Cook the frozen corn by its full package process before weighing the amount for the bowl; the polenta then gets its own gentle, frequently whisked cook. This is a creamy spoon dish with melted cheese, not a browned casserole or a firm slab.
Start with cooked corn
Frozen sweetcorn is not treated as ready to eat. Use the microwave process on its actual packet, including the correct quantity, water, stirring and standing. If that process is for a whole pack, cook the whole pack and weigh the recipe portion afterward. Cool the unused cooked corn promptly for another meal. The short final warming in polenta does not replace the corn's package cooking.
Whisk around the base
Use fine quick-cooking polenta with a short stated stovetop time. Whisk it into the cold milk and water so dry pockets do not hide on the bottom. During heating, scrape the bottom and sides at every pause. The cheese and cooked corn enter only when the grain is already soft; neither one can fix gritty undercooked cornmeal.
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) sweetcorn kernels, weighed after full cooking from frozen and draining only if its packet directs
- Water for the chosen frozen-corn packet process, exactly as its manufacturer directs; kept separate from the polenta's measured liquid
- 70 g (2.5 oz) fine quick-cooking polenta with a 3–5 minute stovetop package time
- 400 ml (about 1⅔ US cups) milk
- 200 ml (about ¾ US cup plus 1 US tbsp) water for the polenta
- 50 g (1.8 oz) cheddar, grated
- 10 g (0.35 oz) butter
- 0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch
- 0.3 g ground black pepper, about ⅛ US tsp
Set out
1000 W microwave with turntable, Microwave-safe vessel and cover required by the corn packet, Deep microwave-safe bowl, 2 L (about 2.1 US qt) measured capacity, Small whisk and spoon, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Oven mitts, Food thermometer for reheating leftovers, Two serving bowls
Allergens
Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Cook the frozen sweetcorn by its complete microwave packet instructions. For the planning clock, choose a packet process taking no more than 6 minutes including its stand; allow the actual longer time if your packet requires it. If a full pack must be cooked, do so, then weigh 150 g cooked kernels for this recipe. Keep the measured portion covered and warm; chill unused cooked corn promptly.
- While the corn process runs or stands, whisk the polenta, milk, the separate 200 ml water, salt and pepper in the 2 L bowl. Once the corn has left the microwave, heat the polenta mixture uncovered at 1000 W full power for 3–4 minutes, stopping every minute to whisk thoroughly. Pause sooner if the milk rises.
- Reduce to 50% power and cook for 5–7 minutes, whisking every minute, until gently bubbling, thickened and the fine grain is fully soft. Add extra 30-second low-power bursts if needed. Do not taste raw or gritty grain to decide that it is done.
- Stir in all the cooked corn, cheddar and butter. Heat at 50% power for 1 minute, stir well, then leave to stand for 3 minutes. Divide the entire creamy mixture between two bowls and serve warm.
Two water measures stay separate
The polenta uses exactly 200 ml water plus 400 ml milk. Any water required by the frozen-corn packet belongs to that separate cooking process; do not pour an unknown amount of it into the porridge.
A soft spoon dish
The relatively generous liquid makes creamy polenta. There is no grill stage, crisp crust or turn-out instruction hidden in the name.
Ingredient labels
Check polenta for wheat cross-contact if needed and check corn and cheese labels for other ingredients.
A useful detail
Allow 40 minutes for the full route. The chosen corn package may use up to 6 minutes including stand, followed by up to 12 minutes polenta heating and a 3-minute final stand. These stages use one oven in sequence. Measuring and whisking add working time. A longer corn process, firmer grain or different wattage extends the estimate; do not cut a package cook short to meet it.
Another way
- Use 150 g (5.3 oz) drained ready-to-eat canned sweetcorn instead. Omit the frozen-corn cooking process and its separate packet water; add the canned corn at the same finishing stage.
- Replace cheddar with 50 g (1.8 oz) crumbled feta. It softens into the polenta rather than stretching; the dish still contains milk.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below. Use within 2 days. Stir 20 ml (1 US tbsp plus 1 US tsp) water into each portion before reheating covered in short bursts, stirring, to 165°F/74°C throughout. Stand covered for 2 minutes. Follow any shorter storage instruction on the corn packet.