Polenta With Parmesan and Olive Oil-Fried Eggs

By Melissa Clark

Updated September 1, 2026

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(922)
Comments
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If you’ve ever decided that cold cereal is a good dinner, here’s another, far better option. Soft and steaming, with plenty of salt and pepper mixed in and perhaps some grated cheese applied at the end, a bowl of polenta or grits is deeply satisfying and requires not much more than a pot and a spoon to prepare. And topping the buttery, cheesy polenta with eggs fried in olive oil makes for a dish that is far more elegant and luxurious than its simple ingredients would imply.

Featured in: A Morning Meal Begs to Stay Up Late

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 ½ cups low-sodium broth or water

  • 1 ½ cups polenta (not quick-cooking), coarse corn meal or corn grits

  • ¾ teaspoon salt

  • 2 to 4 tablespoons butter

  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

  • 1 1-ounce chunk or ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 8 large eggs

  • Coarse sea salt for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

48 grams carbs; 400 milligrams cholesterol; 527 calories; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 28 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1021 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large pot, bring broth or water to a simmer. Stir in the polenta and salt. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened to taste, 10 to 20 minutes. Stir in butter and pepper; cover pot to keep warm.

  2. Step 2

    Using a vegetable peeler, slice cheese into slivers, or grate it on largest holes of a box grater.

  3. Step 3

    In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until very hot. Fry 4 eggs until edges are crispy and yolks still runny. Repeat with remaining oil and eggs.

  4. Step 4

    Pile polenta into 4 bowls and top with cheese and then fried eggs. Garnish with sea salt and more pepper and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
922 user ratings
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Comments

bryan chitwood

We love this and do it Southern style: yellow grits seasoned with garlic and white pepper cooked in chicken stock and finished with grated cheese. Top the garlic cheese grits with over-easy eggs and serve with ham, sausage or bacon and greens.

Judy

What dark things lurk on the right-hand side of the photo?

Jane

It's Garlicky Swiss Chard. If you click through the link above to the accompanying article, "A Good Appetite: A Morning Meal Begs to Stay Up Late," you'll get to it... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/dining/072arex.html?ref=dining

Marc

I no longer live by the food rules we were given. I eat grits all the time as a starchy base to my dinner plates. Actually I'll eat grits for any meal these days.

Cecil

It’s not the same, but it has the same inspiration: when I was a kid, my grandmother would fry eggs in bacon grease - basting the tops of the eggs as they cooked - and then serve them over grits.

Judy

In a fit of hunger and fatigue, I used my leftover whole wheat couscous to which I added feta, the sorry remains of grated Parmesan, and the egg. Ahhh!

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