Quick Weeknight Dinners: Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta

Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta

This cooking-family-dinner thing is no joke. I don’t know how you parents out there manage it; I can barely manage to feed myself and my husband in a reasonable way. Plenty of nights find me and Mike sitting, with a Lean Cuisine and a plate of eggs, respectively, in front of the television. We’re just so tired after working all day, so overwhelmed preparing for the next day, so over doing the dishes…

But you already know the whining part, so I’ll skip that (too late) and get to the solution part. I’ve been loading up my Pinterest boards with quick, healthy weeknight meals. To spread the love, I’ll be sharing some with you here and there throughout the weekdays. This first one, Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta, is one of our favorites so far! It has a savory, rich flavor but whips up in just around 25 minutes. Another bonus: I had most of the ingredients in my pantry and fridge.

Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta

A few time-saving tips on this recipe: use prepared ingredients if your budget allows. I love those little tubs of chopped onions and the huge jar of minced garlic. Chopping is just not what I want to spend my time on. Also, buy a tube of prepared polenta to fry up instead of making your own.

How do you manage making quick, tasty weeknight meals? Share our tips and recipes in the comments below or on WBB’s Facebook page.

One year ago: Vanilla Custard Soaked Pumpkin Poke Cake
Two years ago: Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread with Butter Rum Glaze
Three years ago: Assorted Donut Muffins
Four years ago: Mini-Pies: Pumpkin, Peach Crisp, and Sour Cream Apple

Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta

Recipe by: Adapted from Cooking Light
Yield: 4 servings

This recipe only takes about 25 minutes to prepare, but it packs a LOT of flavor! Mike and I loved it and are sticking it in our regular dinner rotation.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 links Italian chicken sausage
1 link hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
3 heaping tablespoons sundried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
1 tube cooked polenta (I used mushroom & onion polenta)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage (cutting it out of its casing, if it has one, and crumbling it in the pan). Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds or so, until fragrant but not burnt, before adding the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, sundried tomatoes, and wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the sausage bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring this mixture to a boil before reducing the heat and allowing it to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the mixture is simmering, heat the other 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot and the oil is shimmering, add the slices of polenta, frying them for a few minutes on one side (until golden brown). Sprinkle them with salt and pepper before flipping them to fry, salt, and pepper the other side. When they’re almost done, sprinkle them with a little Parmesan cheese. Remove them to your serving plate.

Stir 1/4 cup of basil and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese into the tomato mixture. Cook for 5 more minutes before spooning the mixture over the fried polenta, sprinkling with a little extra grated Parmesan and basil, and serving.

September 19, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 22 Comments

22 Comments on Quick Weeknight Dinners: Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta

Belinda @themoonblushbaker
September 19, 2013 at 4:53 pm (11 years ago)

I find the freezer isle is my best friends for budget quick meals. Beans , corn, soy and peas are great frozen. Also I prepare a big chicken or two on Sunday then ration out the whole chicken though the week. So one day breast in a salad, drumsticks one day. What ever is left in stock then add beans, noodles/rice and lentils.
I am going pass this on to my sister she is a new mother and needs recipes like this!
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  September 19, 2013 at 5:02 pm (11 years ago)
  
  Thanks, Belinda!
  Reply
gracekelle at leangirlsclub
September 19, 2013 at 6:19 pm (11 years ago)

I make a big pot of bolognese with carrots, onions, celery, crushed tomatoes, herbs, and white wine…I use it with brown rice, a salad, tacos, or pasta. Add a little crushed pepper or hot sauce…it makes all the difference in the world and tastes like a new recipe.

Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’m not usually a fan of polenta but this looks delish!
Reply
Tieghan
September 20, 2013 at 2:00 am (11 years ago)

I love, love, love crispy polenta!! This is so my families kind of meal!
Reply
Coco @ Opera Girl Cooks
September 21, 2013 at 10:57 pm (11 years ago)

This looks great, Julie! I develop recipes for Garlic Gold, and just came up with a polenta recipe last week. In case you ever get a wild hair to make a batch of the creamy, soft kind (rather than this tasty-looking crispy version!) come on over and check it out: http://garlicgold.com/2013/09/garlic-gold-rosemary-polenta-recipe/
Reply
dale in denver
September 23, 2013 at 1:49 am (11 years ago)

Thank you for this. My 7 year old son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this May. So, I’m learning to cook all over again with gluten-free ingredients. This recipe was just the ticket for dinner tonight. I have corn meal in the house and didn’t want to go to the store, so I did a google search for how to make firm polenta (turns out, it is just regular polenta spread in a pan and chilled). Polenta is easy, breezy, so think I’ll make up extra and freeze it for uses such as this recipe.
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  September 23, 2013 at 2:58 am (11 years ago)
  
  Aw, it makes me so happy to hear this was helpful! Bless you; I know it’d be SO hard on me to adjust to cooking gluten-free. Some of my favorite g-f blogs (or blogs that include g-f recipes) are Deliciously Organic, Celiac Teen, and Gluten-Free Girl. I hope they’re helpful to you 🙂
  Reply
Rachel Petska
September 23, 2013 at 4:05 pm (11 years ago)

I made this meal for me and my husband on Friday night and it was a huge hit. I will definitely be making this meal again soon. Thanks for sharing!
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  September 23, 2013 at 4:07 pm (11 years ago)
  
  That makes me so happy to hear, Rachel! 🙂
  Reply
Kimberly
September 24, 2013 at 2:21 am (11 years ago)

Holy buckets, Batman! This was so refreshing and tasty. My kids loved it, especially the crispy polenta. Super easy and flavorful. I loved that there was little salt added to the recipe overall as all the flavors sang beautifully together. So far, I have had no recipe fails from Willowbird. Thank you!
Reply
Jenni
September 30, 2013 at 7:34 pm (11 years ago)

This looks so delicious! I love polenta, but the rest of my family doesn’t care for it. Maybe I can sneak some “oven fried” goodness in! Loving all these quick weeknight dinners! 🙂
Reply
Kaellen
October 6, 2013 at 1:59 am (11 years ago)

I just made this meal for dinner tonight and it was killer! I’ll be adding this into my meal plans! 🙂
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  October 6, 2013 at 2:12 am (11 years ago)
  
  Yay! So happy to hear that, Kaellen! That’s how we felt, too!
  Reply
Maria Kollision
October 25, 2013 at 1:48 pm (11 years ago)

Hey, this reminded me that I have sausage in the freezer! I may just make this for dinner tonight 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Reply
Rebecca
November 11, 2013 at 5:12 pm (11 years ago)

I made this the other night and both my hubs and my 1-yr-old thought it was awesome (as did I)! I think we’ll be seeing it in our rotation pretty often as well!
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  November 11, 2013 at 5:14 pm (11 years ago)
  
  Hooray! So glad you all enjoyed it!
  Reply
Tara Chumley
September 11, 2014 at 6:20 pm (10 years ago)

Oh. My. Geeez this was yummo!!! Thanks!
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  September 11, 2014 at 11:08 pm (10 years ago)
  
  So glad you enjoyed it, Tara!! It’s one of our faves 🙂
  Reply
Tanya N
September 26, 2020 at 7:03 pm (4 years ago)

Thank you so much! This was so delicious! And as you said, very flavorful. Even my picky 9-year-old loved it. My husband wants it in our normal rotation, too. Thanks!
Reply
- Julie Ruble
  September 28, 2020 at 12:53 am (4 years ago)
  
  Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Tanya!
  Reply