Guest Post: Erika | Polenta with Sausage and Veggies

Hello! Here is another guest post from a Seattle gal: the amazingly talented Erika from Rouge and Whimsy. I met Erika at the fall 2012 PNW Bloggers meet-up and again at the spring event and then we hung out in Tacoma once. She's a fabulous cook, incredibly beautiful, stylish and crafty. Check out her blog for outfits, recipes and ALSO check out her Etsy shop for her amazing handmade purses. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Erika! -Lindsy

Apparently it’s fall. Maybe even winter, or at least it is in my neck of the woods. So it’s time to put away the summer food—the grilled meats and light salads for something a little more substantial. But before we go gungho into cooking (winter cooking always feels more time consuming), I suggest a delicious and easy (as well as hearty) weeknight meal. I love polenta because it’s different from the normal rotation of pasta-rice-potatoes. It's easy, it's different and if you cook it right, it's sort of healthy.

You can buy polenta premade but if you have 20 minutes to spare, you can make it from scratch for pennies.

Polenta with tomato sauce and italian sausage
polenta:
1 cup water
2 cups broth
3/4 cup polenta

Bring liquid to a boil, slowly stir in polenta and reduce heat, constantly stirring until thickened (10 to 15 minutes)

Pour onto bowls or plates and let cool.  (alternatively, you can pour it into a pan, and let chill until it becomes solid, and then fry it or bake it to make polenta squares.)
 
sauce + veggies + meat:
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 ground italian sausage (I use ground chicken sausage)
1 minced garlic
veggies-- you can use anything-- I toss in red bell pepper and zucchini, but you could also add
olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc
- 1 jar low sodium tomato sauce
- optional: freshly grated parm-reggiano cheese, torn fresh basil leaves


Sautee onions until translucent over medium heat in a large frypan
Add garlic, saute for a minute
Stir in italian sausage, breaking up with a spatula and cook until no longer pink
Stir in chopped veggies and sauce, stir until cooked through.


Pour over polenta and serve with grated cheese and torn basil on top and a side salad.

xo, erika