Getting out the door in time to do some serious trick-or-treating calls for a warm, filling and fast dinner.
So get your young ghouls and witches off to a good start with this speedy recipe for cheesy soft polenta topped with a saute of chicken sausages, roasted red peppers, greens and mushrooms.
The trick here is to use as many convenience items as possible, such as instant polenta, bagged shredded cheese, precooked sausage, sliced mushrooms and jarred roasted red peppers.
If your family isn’t into polenta, the same sausage and vegetable mixture also goes well with pasta, or even spooned into sliced baguettes or sub rolls. Instant polenta can be found in the pasta or Italian section of most grocers.
While kale is called for in the recipe, any bagged hearty green, such as spinach, works fine. And if you don’t have fresh rosemary, a sprinkle of Italian herb mix is great.
Thus fortified, perhaps your little trick-or-treaters won’t down quite so much candy while on the haunt. Or not.
Sausage polenta
2tablespoons olive oil
1medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
14-ounce package sliced button mushrooms (about 2 cups)
112-ounce package cooked chicken sausages, mild Italian flavor, cut into chunks (about 5 sausages)
2cloves garlic, minced
2tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2bunch kale, stems removed, chopped (about 2 to 3 cups chopped)
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (about 4 peppers)
11/2cups instant polenta
11/2cups grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
While the water heats, in a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the onion, mushrooms, sausages, garlic and rosemary. Saute until the sausage is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the kale and roasted red peppers to the skillet and saute another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the greens are wilted. Set aside.
Stir the polenta into the boiling water. It will become very thick. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add the cheese and stir for another minute. Season both the polenta and sausage mixture with salt and pepper.
To serve, spread about a cup of the polenta over each serving plate, then top with sausages and vegetables.
Makes six servings.
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