Cheesy Polenta with Shrimp
Talk about comfort food!
This cheesy polenta with shrimp hits all of the right notes – the polenta is creamy and cozy, the shrimp has a beautiful olive oil flavor and the greens are extra garlicky.
And the best part? It comes together in about 25 minutes from start to finish. Let’s make it together.
How to make cheesy polenta with shrimp
- The first step is to make the polenta. Polenta is essentially the finished dish. It’s made with cornmeal, which can be coarsely or finely ground, depending on your preference. You can also buy instant polenta, which has been partially cooked before being packaged. It cooks really, really quickly, which helps this dish come together FAST. It is full of fiber!
- The next step is to saute the shrimp. I use large shrimp, which is 16-20 shrimp per pound, but you can use whatever size shrimp you’d like. Just be sure to buy it raw, peeled and deveined. Tails on or off! Give them a quick saute in olive oil, just until their tails start to curl and the meat is white. Be sure to season them with a little salt and black pepper, too!
- Next, you’ll remove the shrimp from the pan and add in the spinach and garlic. Season those as well and saute just until the greens are wilted and the garlic is fragrant. It’ll only take about 30-60 seconds.
- Serve the polenta with the shrimp and greens on top with a smattering of Parmesan cheese. YUM!
I know you’ll love this high fiber, high protein bowl of comfort food!
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Cheesy Polenta with Shrimp
- Prep Time: 10-15 mins
- Cook Time: 10-15 mins
- Total Time: 20-30 mins
- Yield: Serves 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove-Top
Description
Easy Parmesan polenta with sauteed garlic shrimp and greens.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheesy Polenta:
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup low fat milk
- 1 cup instant polenta
- ¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Sauteed Shrimp:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-pound large (16-20) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2–3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Pour the water and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook 2-3 minutes or until thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. If the polenta is too thick, whisk in a bit more water until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Scoop into bowls.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium. Add the shrimp, season with half of the salt and black pepper and cook 1-2 minutes per side or until the tails are slightly curled and the shrimp is opaque. Transfer the shrimp into the bowls with polenta.
- To the skillet, add the spinach, garlic and the remaining salt and black pepper and sauté 30-60 seconds or until the spinach is wilted. Scoop into the bowls with the polenta and shrimp.
- Top each bowl with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Notes
Cooking Tip: When making instant polenta, follow the directions on the package. The liquid:polenta ratio may be slightly different depending on the brand.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4
- Calories: 328
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 506mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 33g
- Cholesterol: 191mg
Keywords: polenta, shrimp, cheesy, Parmesan, seafood, dinner