Creamy Polenta with Garden Tomato Sauce and Sausage
Jessica Merchant
- Yield: 4 servings
Can be easily made into a vegetarian dish by not adding the sausage.
Ingredients
- Garden Tomato Sauce:
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1medium carrot, peeled and diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1small celery stalk, trimmed and diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2large garlic cloves, diced
- 18 plum tomatoes, peeled
- 1/2teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- 4 to 8 pre-cooked Italian-style chicken sausage, cut into chunks (optional)
- 1/4cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Creamy Polenta:
- 2cups 2 percent reduced-fat milk
- 2cups water
- 3/4teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2cups stone-ground cornmeal
- 2tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic; cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and any juice from the bowl. Mash lightly with a wooden spoon. Add oregano and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, until tomatoes have cooked down and formed a chunky sauce. Add sausage and stir to combine. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, until sausage is heated through. Add cheese and stir well. Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
- To make polenta, combine milk and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Gradually add cornmeal, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add butter. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring almost constantly, 25 to 30 minutes, until polenta is thick. Serve topped with warm sauce and chunks of sausage.
Recipe by Karen Berman
Nutritional Info *per serving
- Calories 479
- Fat 19g
- Cholesterol 29mg
- Sodium 919mg
- Carbohydrate 68g
- Fiber 11g
- Protein 15g
