SERVES 6 to 8
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
We like a mix of red and green bell peppers for this dish. Parmesan can be substituted for the Asiago here. Be sure to use instant dried polenta here, not traditional polenta or precooked tubes of polenta.
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1½ |
pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed |
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3 |
red and/or green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into ¼-inch-thick strips |
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1 |
red onion, halved and sliced thin |
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Salt and pepper |
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7 |
garlic cloves, minced |
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1 |
(25-ounce) jar pasta sauce |
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2 |
tablespoons red wine vinegar |
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3 |
cups water |
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2½ |
cups whole milk |
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1½ |
cups instant polenta |
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2 |
tablespoons unsalted butter |
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2 |
ounces Asiago cheese, grated (1 cup) |
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2 |
tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine sausage, bell peppers, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt in Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in pasta sauce and vinegar and remove from heat.
2. Meanwhile, whisk water, milk, polenta, butter, remaining garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt together in bowl. Cover and microwave until most of water is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir polenta thoroughly, re-cover, and continue to microwave until polenta is creamy and fully cooked, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread cooked polenta into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Spread sausage mixture evenly over polenta and sprinkle with Asiago. Bake until polenta has heated through and Asiago has melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.