Have you ever seen prepared polenta in the store and wondered about it? “What could I make with that?” Polenta & Sausage is SO fast and easy. It tastes like a great Italian meal that is very flavorful and filling. A layer of polenta, then a turkey sausage and veggie layer and then cheese melted on top. Perfection!
Jennie-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage is our favorite for every recipe!
Polenta is boiled cornmeal, basically the Italian version of Grits. It is a replacement for pasta and serves a base for meaty sauce. You can by it prepared, which means it has been boiled and cooled then formed into a log then packaged in a tube. Prepared polenta is great for baking, frying and grilling. Cook it however you wish, then serve with saucy meat and vegetables over the top.
Polenta is Gluten Free which makes it a great substitute for pasta when making Italian dishes! Most polenta is made with corn. It originated in Northern Italy thousands of years ago and was a staple for peasant and working class families who also made polenta with buckwheat, beans, legumes and whatever else they had available.
For this recipe, using already prepared polenta works great and also makes this easy prep even faster! Snip the end of the plastic tube, then slit down the side to remove the plastic sleeve. Place the polenta on a cutting board and slice it into about 1/4 inch slices. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Prepare a baking dish with lightly sprayed or brushed with olive oil. Place the polenta slices in a single layer in the dish then bake for 8 minutes.
While the polenta is baking, Heat a large, skillet. Drizzle or spray with a little olive oil, then add in the turkey sausage. Brown and crumble over medium-high heat. When the sausage is nearly done cooking, add in the chopped onions and bell pepper.
Stir over the heat till the veggies are crisp-tender. Next, add in TWO cans of diced tomatoes, undrained. Add in the seasoning. You may add salt, but with the sausage, I have never felt that it needed added salt.
Let the tomatoes and sausage simmer for a few minutes, until the liquid is cut by half. It should be a thick sauce when it is ready. Pour it over the top of the baked Polenta. Spread it evenly. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake it for just 5 minutes more till it is heated through and the cheese is melted.
If you like this recipe, then check out these others that are similar!
- Mexican Polenta Pie
- Cheesy Baked Ziti
- Homestead Casserole
- Baked Pasta with Sausage and Ricotta
- Burrata Pasta
- Sausage & Tortellini Soup
Polenta & Sausage
Fast, easy and healthy dinner that is kid approved. Polenta is a great replacement for pasta and fun to use now and then for variety.
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. tube of prepared polenta
- 2 lbs. turkey sausage
- ½ cup sweet onion, chopped
- 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped use any color you wish
- 2 14.5 oz. canned diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray or brush a 7x11 baking dish with olive oil.
- Slice the polenta, with a sharp knife, about ¼ inch slices. Place them in a single layer in the baking dish. Bake for 4 minutes, turn the polenta slices over, then bake another 4 minutes. Leave the oven on when done and set the baking dish aside while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium/large skillet, spray or drizzle a little olive oil, then brown and crumble the turkey. Add in the chopped onion and chopped bell pepper when the sausage is mostly browned. Stir altogether and let the veggies cook a little in with the sausage.
- Add in the drained, canned tomatoes and seasoning. Stir it all together over the heat till it is heated through.
- Spread the sausage mixture over the polenta. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top. Bake for about 5 minutes till it is heated and the cheese is melted.
- Cut into squares and serve with some crusty bread and a good salad.