Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce
Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce
Soft, buttery corn meal polenta topped with a long-simmered, food-milled tomato and vegetable sauce finished with parmigiano.
Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: about 1.5 hours
What Is Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce?
A comforting bowl of soft, butter-and-parmesan corn meal polenta crowned with a slow-cooked tomato sauce that is simmered with onion, carrot, celery and herbs, then passed through a food mill until smooth.
Why Make Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce?
- Soft polenta is pure comfort in a bowl
- The food-milled sauce is silky, not chunky
- The long simmer concentrates deep tomato flavour
- Sauce can be made a day ahead
- Naturally vegetarian and gluten-free
Unico Products Used in This Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe polenta (made from corn meal per package)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cans whole tomatoes (19 oz each, drained, diced and seeded)
- 1 yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 carrots (thinly sliced)
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley (loosely packed, shredded)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
- salt (to taste)
- 3 tbsp butter (divided)
- 3/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (freshly grated, divided)
Instructions
- Start the polenta cooking from the corn meal as directed on the package.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add the tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots, parsley and basil and season with salt.
- Stir well for a minute or two, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid slightly askew and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 1 1/2 hours; add about 1/2 cup water if it looks dry.
- Pass the softened vegetables through a food mill, return them to the pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter, and simmer a few minutes over medium heat; cook down to a medium-thick consistency and adjust the seasoning.
- When the polenta is done, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup of the parmesan until well incorporated.
- Spoon the polenta into bowls, top with the sauce, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and serve.
Cooking Tips
- Keep the polenta soft and pourable — add hot water if it stiffens
- Cook the sauce low and slow; rushing loses the depth
- A food mill gives the smoothest texture; a sieve also works
- Stir the butter and parmesan into the polenta off the heat
- Make the sauce ahead — it reheats and even improves
Frequently Asked Questions About Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce
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1. Why is it not really a bolognese?
Despite the name, the sauce is meatless — a slow-cooked vegetable tomato sauce.
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2. Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes — it holds for several hours or a day and reheats well.
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3. Do I need a food mill?
It gives the silkiest result; a fine sieve or a quick blend is a fair substitute.
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4. How do I keep polenta soft?
Serve it promptly and loosen with hot water or stock if it stiffens.
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5. Is this dish gluten-free?
Yes, as long as your corn meal is processed gluten-free.
Cooking Guides & Tips
- What Is Passata? How to Use Sieved Tomatoes A plain-language guide to passata — smooth, uncooked sieved tomatoes — and how to use it for fast, silky sauces, soups and pizza.
- Tomato Paste, Passata and Sauce: Which to Use When Tomato paste, passata, pasta sauce and pizza sauce all start with tomatoes — here's what each is and when to reach for it.
- Polenta 101: How to Cook Cornmeal How to cook polenta from cornmeal — creamy soft polenta or firm grilled polenta — with ratios, timing and tips.
Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce Made Simple
Soft Polenta with Tomato Sauce is slow-cooked comfort worth the wait. Unico corn meal makes the creamy base the sauce deserves.