Polenta and Sausage Bake

Wed 02 April 2025

What makes this dish so good and so easy is the premade polenta. Now, you all know how much I love to make things from scratch, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take the occasional shortcut. I love shortcuts. Especially if it doesn’t hamper the final product. Well, those polenta tubes you find at the grocery store are one such shortcut. I use them all the time! They’re so easy and delicious, especially when fried up and added to a flavorful protein. You simply take the tube, slice, fry and you’re done. It’s seriously that easy. Add those little rounds to any protein and you have a full meal without any extra work.

This recipe is adapted from an old Martha Stewart version I sort of remember from years ago.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbl Oil
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • 1 lb good quality sausage (bulk or removed from casings)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tube prepared polenta, sliced into ¼" rounds
  • ⅓ cup chicken stock
  • ¼ fresh parsely or cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a large skillet, heat oil and cook onion until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add sausage and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned in 8-9 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook a minute or two until fragrent, remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste.

In a 2-quart baking dish, layer polenta rounds with spoonfuls of sausage mixture. Pour stock over the top and bake 20-25 minutes. Serve with fresh herbs.

Note: Presentation, could tile the polenta rounds a bit for a 3D effect Start first polenta rounds leaning on the edge of the caserole dish at a 45 degreee angle and work from there.

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