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Creamy Polenta with Garden Tomato Sauce and Sausage

  • Yield 4 servings

This polenta is soft and delicious, topped with luscious tomato sauce and plenty of sausage.

Creamy Polenta with Garden Tomato Sauce and Sausage
Jessica Merchant

Can be easily made into a vegetarian dish by not adding the sausage.

Ingredients

Garden Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced, about 1/2 cup
1 small celery stalk, trimmed and diced, about 1/2 cup
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, diced
18 plum tomatoes, peeled
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 8 pre-cooked Italian-style chicken sausage, cut into chunks (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Creamy Polenta:
2 cups 2 percent reduced-fat milk
2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic; cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

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