Crispy Pancetta Polenta recipe is a delicious side dish and is perfect to serve with meat and stews. It's incredibly hearty, packed with flavor and it's comforting beyond belief!

Creamy Rosemary Dubliner Polenta with Crispy Pancetta

Scented with rosemary and made with Dubliner cheese, Cripsy Pancetta Polenta is absolutely as delicious as it sounds.

I'm not kidding around here, it's amazing!

What is polenta?

Polenta is made from ground cornmeal (usually coarse).
It is an inexpensive, common staple in Italy.
A Northern Italian dish, polenta can be extremely versatile, made into sweet or savory dishes.
The classic preparation only uses water or stock, butter, salt, and pepper.
Polenta is very similar to southern grits, but is typically made with a less starchy (flint) corn from Italy, making it a bit less creamy than grits which uses dent corn.

Between the warmth of the fresh rosemary and the sweet, nutty Dubliner cheese I used, the flavor profile in this creamy mixture is out of control -- add to that the crispy, salty pancetta, and you might just fall off your chair.

Crispy Pancetta Polenta in a red-rimmed bowl

What's in this recipe?

chicken stock
coarse cornmeal
rosemary
pancetta
half and half
Dubliner cheese
butter
olive oil, salt

How to make Crispy Pancetta

Add thickly cut, diced pancetta to a satué pan with a bit of oil and a finely chopped rosemary.
Cook, stirring every so often, until it's golden and crispy. This only takes a few minutes.

This crispy pancetta is also fabulous added to salads!

square chunk of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese with a white, ceramic cheese marker in the top

And how lovely is this cheese marker? You can find them here.

Can you use another cheese?

Yes!

Use your favorite cheese if you prefer. I think Gruyère would also be a lovely choice.

What to serve with Crispy Pancetta Polenta

A couple more polenta recipes:

This is not a sponsored post. Kerrygold Dubliner is one of my favorite cheeses.

Rosemary Polenta with Crispy Pancetta

Valentina K. Wein

Crispy Pancetta Polenta recipe is a delicious side dish and is perfect to serve with meat and stews. It's incredibly hearty, packed with flavor and it's comforting beyond belief!

5 from 8 votes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 393 kcal

Ingredients

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped, divided
¾ teaspoon salt
1¾ cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)
olive oil for the pan
1 cup thick cut pancetta, cut into a small dice
1 cup half and half
1 cup Dubliner cheese, grated
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

In a medium to large saucepan, add the 1½ tablespoons of the rosemary and the salt to the stock, and bring to a boil.
Gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
While the polenta is cooking, very lightly coat the bottom of a small sauté pan with olive oil. Add the pancetta and remaining rosemary, and place the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring every so often, until it's golden and crispy, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
When the polenta is ready, turn off the heat and add the half and half, cheese, and butter. Stir to blend.
Serve with a generous spoonful of the pancetta on top of each portion.

NOTES

Calorie count is only an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 393kcal

Keywords fall comfort food recipes, great side dishes for meats and stews

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Comments

David @ Spiced

January 21, 2020 at 4:34 am

I absolutely love Dubliner cheese! (Oh, who am I kidding? I love all cheese!) Taking polenta and adding Dubliner plus crispy pancetta sounds like my definition of the perfect comfort food! It's brutally cold here right now, and some delicious comfort food like this would be quite welcome. 🙂

- valentina
  
  January 21, 2020 at 5:23 pm
  
  I hope it warms you and the family. Bundle up. Thank you, David! 🙂 ~Valentina
  
Dawn - Girl Heart Food

January 20, 2020 at 5:52 am

A big bowl of this and I'm set..nothing else required! This looks super good, Valentina. With the cheese, creamy polenta and pancetta, what's not to love?? Can't wait to try 🙂

- valentina
  
  January 20, 2020 at 6:18 pm
  
  Thank you! I agree, what's not to love? 🙂 ~Valentina
  
2pots2cook

January 15, 2020 at 9:15 am

We love polenta very much and this is on our list definitely dear. Thank you for this inviting idea 🙂

- valentina
  
  January 19, 2020 at 6:02 pm
  
  Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
  
John / Kitchen Riffs

January 15, 2020 at 8:23 am

I really, really like polenta. Rosemary plays SO well with it, but I haven't tried pancetta. I will, though. 🙂

- valentina
  
  January 19, 2020 at 6:02 pm
  
  Thanks, John. I hope you try and love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
  
Natalie

November 11, 2018 at 9:30 pm

This polenta looks so delicious and comforting! Can't wait to try this recipe!

- valentina
  
  November 12, 2018 at 7:17 pm
  
  Thanks, Natalie!
  
Shanika

November 11, 2018 at 9:07 pm

I love Polenta! It's such a great substitute for grits! This recipe looks so creamy and delicious! Plus, I do LOVE that cheese marker! Genius!

- valentina
  
  November 12, 2018 at 7:16 pm
  
  Thank you Shanika! Cool marker, right!? 🙂
  
Kristina

November 11, 2018 at 8:34 pm

These flavors sound so good! I have to make this asap! Cannot wait!

- valentina
  
  November 12, 2018 at 7:11 pm
  
  Yes, I love these flavors. I do hope you try it. 🙂

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