Slow Cooker Pumpkin-Parmesan Polenta

By Sarah DiGregorio

Total Time: About 6 hours
Rating: 4(566)
Notes: Read community notes

This tangy polenta, inspired by the flavors of pumpkin ravioli, is as an easy side dish that can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. For something a little lighter, omit the butter that cooks with the polenta and reduce the browned butter to ½ stick, or 4 tablespoons, or halve the recipe if you're not serving a crowd. At first, there will seem to be too much liquid, but the nice thing about cooking polenta in the slow cooker is the grain has time to hydrate, plumping and absorbing the water. When you whisk in the cream cheese at the very end, the texture should be glossy and creamy — loose enough to expand slowly when ladled onto a platter but not runny. If it's too liquidy for you, let it sit with the lid off for a few minutes and then whisk it more. If it's too thick, whisk in some boiling water.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 10 servings

2cups/12 ounces traditional or stone-ground polenta (not instant or quick-cooking)
2(15-ounce) cans pumpkin purée
12tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks)
1½tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Black pepper
1thyme sprig
1bunch fresh sage (5 to 8 sprigs)
1teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for topping
8ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
10ounces grated Parmesan (about 3 cups), plus more for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Slow Cooker Method
1. Step 1
  In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, whisk together the polenta with 10 cups of water, then whisk in the pumpkin. Scatter in 4 tablespoons butter, cut into bits; the salt; a generous amount of pepper; the thyme sprig; 1 sprig of the sage; and ½ teaspoon nutmeg. Cook on low for 6 hours, whisking once or twice if possible. (This can hold very well on warm for several hours.)
2. Step 2
  Break the cream cheese into pieces and drop them into the polenta; whisk to melt the cream cheese and combine. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg, then stir in the grated Parmesan. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
3. Step 3
  In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Pick the leaves from the remaining sage sprigs, and when the butter is melted, drop them in. Cook the butter and the sage, swirling the pan often, until the butter solids start to turn medium-brown and smell toasty, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don’t walk away; butter goes from browned to burned in seconds.) Remove the pan from the heat immediately and swirl the browned butter-sage mixture into the polenta. Serve the polenta in a large platter or shallow bowl, topped with a bit more Parmesan and more nutmeg if desired.
Stovetop Method
1. Step 4
  In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water to boil over high heat. Add the polenta in a steady steam while whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low. (You want the polenta-water mixture to be steaming hot, but not boiling.) Continue to whisk constantly for about 3 minutes, until the polenta and water have formed a smooth mixture. Whisk in the pumpkin, 4 tablespoons butter, the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the thyme sprig, 1 sage sprig and ½ teaspoon nutmeg. Once all the ingredients are combined, cover and cook for 40 minutes, whisking well every 10 minutes.
2. Step 5
  Uncover the pot and cook for about 1 hour more, whisking every 10 minutes, until the polenta is smooth and tender, and the mixture has thickened and is creamy but not runny.
3. Step 6
  Break the cream cheese into small pieces and drop them into the polenta; whisk to melt the cream cheese and combine. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg and the grated Parmesan. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
4. Step 7
  Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Pick the leaves from the remaining sage sprigs and when the butter is melted, drop them in. Cook the butter and the sage, swirling the pan often, until the butter solids start to turn medium brown and smell toasty, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don’t walk away; butter goes from browned to burned in seconds.) Remove the pan from the heat immediately and swirl the browned butter-sage mixture into the polenta. Serve the polenta in a large platter or shallow bowl, topped with a bit more Parmesan and more nutmeg if desired.

Tip

Refrigerated leftovers will solidify; you can cut it into into slices and gently warm them in oil in a skillet. Or, to make the dish a day ahead re-warm the polenta in a pot over medium heat, whisking in splashes of boiling water, until the polenta is creamy again and warmed through.

Ratings

4 out of 5

566 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Kate5 years ago

I decided to halve the recipe and make it much less calorie-dense, as I was mostly interested in the pumpkin flavor. So I didn't add the butter when cooking the polenta, did only 2 T of brown butter, and added 4 T of mascarpone instead of cream cheese. No parm either, and it tastes wonderful. I feel like all the cheese would overwhelm the pumpkin flavor. Didn't have thyme, love the nutmeg in it. Going to become a regular occurrence.

Kate5 years ago

Very good, very easy. Made this for a potluck and got lots of compliments. Halved the recipe since I have a 4qt slow cooker and it made a good amount, even had a little to bring home. So easy to make and reheated beautifully the next day in the crock pot. Good right away but, like a stew, the flavors really came together overnight. Took about 90 min to reheat in the crock pot--30 min on high, stirring occasionally then leave on low 30-60 min.

ERH5 years ago

As others have mentioned, this is super rich and it makes a LOT of food. I quartered the recipe, using mashed sweet potato instead of pumpkin; still made a good 6 portions. If I make it again, I would cut back on the Parmesan and remove the cream cheese entirely. (I may also just forget the polenta and try topping some baked squash with the delicious sage-infused brown butter.) I recommend serving with roasted vegetables and a little balsamic vinegar to help cut through the rich, creamy flavor.

Lindsay5 years ago

I love me some decadent NYT recipes; this one I could not fathom making as directed. I did not add more than the 4 tbsps of butter at the beginning, only added 2 ozs of cream cheese and half the recommended Parmesan to finish. The end result was an insanely rich and delicious pumpkin polenta with the flavors of safe and thyme clearly present. Also, this made SO MUCH food. Quarter the recipe if you’re cooking for a small party, like I was, or you’ll be eating pumpkin polenta for a week.

Chris5 years ago

I substituted grated Gruyere for the cream cheese, made a half batch and it was still a lot. Gruyere was a little sharper flavor, served with lamb and was delicious.

andythebeagle5 years ago

So, you didn't make this recipe, you invented something different.

lisa5 years ago

I cooked uncovered on high for 70% of the time because I was worried about too much water and it turned out great!

Tina5 years ago

Made this- I agree with the poster who mentioned how much this recipe makes! It makes a TON of food (that being said, I've been using it as side in multiple creative ways as a result!). It definitely is decadent but delicious. You could probably cut down on all the cheese and butter. Overall, a nice side that was super easy to make.

Delia1 year ago

This made amazing leftovers. The pumpkin flavor intensified the second day. Way better as leftovers! I used true stone-ground coarse polenta (Farmer Ground - NY) and it needed much more time in the instant pot on the "slow cook - high" setting. Might be better cooked overnight, or after soaking the polenta in the cooking water first. Also essential to skim the chaff first - mix polenta with water, stir, and skim thoroughly before adding the other ingredients.

dens4 years ago

Made half the amount. Used only vegan butter and cream cheese- halved that amount too. So delicious. Thank you!

Juliet1 year ago

Why would someone use canned pumpkin purée when you can easily cook fresh butternut squash or pumpkin yourself (or sweet potato) and then mash or purée it yourself. I'd vastly reduce the cheese too.

CBokat7 months ago

Has anyone made this with an instapot?

Elena1 year ago

Really delicious, but recommend cooking up to 7-8 hours on low to ensure the right consistency.

Iomjen1 year ago

This recipe is a keeper. If using the InstaPot, then definitely use the middle heat on slow cook function. This truly is a load it up and walk away dish with the last minute brown butter and sage. Oh this is soooo worth making. Thank you for the recipe.

Victoria1 year ago

I made this on the stovetop the first time because I didn't have 6 hours before dinner, it was amazing! I tried the second time in the slow cooker and it wasn't quite as good. It seemed to have too much water, but I'm not that experienced in slow cooker recipes. Either way, it was very tasty! I would probably reduce the amounts of butter and cheese next time for a "lighter" version ;)

Anna Carl1 year ago

Liquidy at completion of cooking, but don’t forget; polenta firms right up quickly into a solid after you stop cooking. Yummy and great novelty dish for Thanksgiving. Tastes exactly like those ravioli.

Mags1 year ago

I made this as a side dish for orange/thyme roast tenderloin. I followed the suggestion of using 4 cups of water and cutting the part and butter in half. I used about a tablespoon of mascarpone in lieu of the cream cheese. It definitely needed something else so I too added cinnamon and more of the nutmeg. I also added a bit of fresh Meyer lemon juice at the end which was tasty. I wanted to love this dish but only liked it! But it was easy in the crockpot!

Sandy1 year ago

Thanks to others for your tips. I did halve the recipe and served it to six - still have about half left. I used a bit of mascarpone instead of the cream cheese, cut the parm and butter in half. I still felt that the recipe could use a bit of pick-me-up, so I added maybe 1 tablespoon and a half of brown sugar. It didn't make it sweet, just brought the flavor up a bit.

Tim1 year ago

Halved for a 3-quart Instant Pot; cooked for eight hours on high and it could have gone a little longer.

Delia1 year ago

Stacy A1 year ago

This was a hit! Halved it for three of us for dinner after my husband had gum surgery and needed to eat soft. He had three bowls! Still have about one serving left over, perfect for his lunch.

VOS1 year ago

Made only half the recipe. Used only 4 cups of water. Sautéed one shallot in 2 TBLSPS of butter and added that at the beginning with about 1 tspn of dried thyme and 1 tspn of dried sage. Used one can of sweet potatoes. Let it cook for 6 hours on low, stirring every 2 hours. Added 3 TBLSPNS of cream cheese and 5 ounces of shredded Parmesan. FANTASTIC!!! Served with some sausages baked with onions and red peppers.

Niki1 year ago

I find easier to remove water from fire and dump the polenta in the pot in one go as if l do it slowly it is hard for the last polenta to get wet... Also 40 minutes of cooking are plenty on the stove.

Brad1 year ago

Ok. Made it and here is my two cents on my half batch: Shallots in the sage brown butter is a winner. Extra pepper at the end. In our family we prefer our polenta is bit grainier, so I would half or possibly leave out the cream cheese. I’d make it again.

Brad1 year ago

I’m going to try a half recipe tonight, but in reading the recipe and comments, it feels like shallots in the brown butter could be a tasty addition.

Juliet1 year ago

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