This easy Italian sausage and polenta recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. The simple, stove-top preparation uses only a few ingredients.
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This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free and it's very easy to make, but don't be fooled by its simplicity. Amazing flavor comes from just a few ingredients.
And you might even say - well can I make it even simpler by just using a jar of marinara and call it a day?
No, you cannot. This sauce has secrets. The secrets of centuries of Italian grandmothers. And they must be revealed to you.
(But you can use canned beans. I did.)
This is a great Italian sausage recipe without pasta. Gluten-free comfort food at its finest!
Ingredients
- Italian sausage: You can use sweet or spicy, whichever you prefer.
- Bacon: Its rendered fat will allow us to cook the onions and give a richness to the sauce.
- Canned whole tomatoes: You know that I prefer real San Marzano tomatoes. The flavor makes all the difference and be sure to check the can for certification so you're not getting fakes! You can find them in most grocery stores or on Amazon.
- Tomato paste: Just a bit to concentrate the flavor.
- Red wine vinegar: This adds a splash of acidity and deepens the flavor of the tomatoes.
- Bay leaves and onion: Aromatics for the sauce.
- Cannelini beans: These creamy beans are a staple in Italian cooking.
- Hot water, olive oil, salt and pepper: The hot water is for the sauce, we'll need to add water, then cook it down.
- Polenta: Use your favorite, find grind or medium grind will both work well.
Instructions
Adapted slightly from Lidia's Italy
To make the Italian sausage recipe part of this dish, you will need a VERY large skillet - a deep one about 12 inches wide. This is a one-pan plan, but it's a BIG pan. You could use a dutch oven if that is all you have, just be diligent about getting the sausages nice and browned.
Are you wondering how much polenta will feed your crowd?
1 cup dry polenta corn grits will yield about 3 cups of cooked polenta. So think about the number of people you are serving and adjust accordingly.
Make the polenta:
There is no milk, no cheese, no butter in this polenta recipe. The creaminess comes from cooking the polenta itself, it's completely dairy-free.
Use one cup dry polenta to 4 parts water or chicken stock.
In a large, deep pot, bring liquid to a boil, add salt to taste.
Slowly whisk the polenta into the boiling liquid, stirring constantly to get rid of any lumps.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook polenta, stirring frequently, until it is soft and creamy and pulling away from the sides of the pot.
Make the tomato sauce and sausages:
Place the skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and sauté bacon until it begins to render fat. Drop in the sausages and let them begin to brown. Add the onion and bay leaves, keep turning sausages so they brown on all sides.
Once meat and onions have caramelized, clear a space on the pan bottom and drop in the tomato paste. Stir it in the clear spot until it begins to sizzle, then spread it all around the pan and be sure to coat the sausages.
Make another clear space in the pan, then add the red wine vinegar, allow it to sizzle and evaporate for a few seconds, then stir everything together once again.
Pour 1 cup of the hot water into the pan, raise the heat and deglaze the pan as the water begins to bubble. Scrape up any remaining bits of fond from the bottom of the pan.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Rinse the can with the remaining cup of hot water and pour into pan. (You don't want to miss all of that good, expensive tomato residue that you just paid good money for.) Stir in a ¼ teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer at a gentle bubble for about 10 minutes, then add the beans.
Return to a gentle boil and simmer for about 10 more minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. It should be a loose sauce that covers the beans and sausages. Season with additional salt if needed and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve over freshly made creamy polenta.
Related Recipes
- For another hearty gluten free and dairy free meal, try Oven Baked Italian Sausages with Parsnips, Apples and Onions.
- Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale is also gluten free, and can easily be made dairy free by eliminating the parmesan.
- Pork Stew with White Beans, Wine and Sage is gluten free, dairy free and will stick to your ribs on a cold day.
Italian Sausage with Creamy Polenta and Cannelini Beans
Ingredients
- 6 sweet Italian sausages
- 1 onion small, chopped
- 3 slices bacon diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 28-ounce can tomatoes preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
- polenta 1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked
Instructions
Italian Sausage Recipe
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and sauté bacon until it begins to render fat. Drop in the sausages and let them begin to brown. Add the onion and bay leaves, keep turning sausages so they brown on all sides.
- Once meat and onions have caramelized, clear a space on the pan bottom and drop in the tomato paste. Stir it in the clear spot until it begins to sizzle, then spread it all around the pan and be sure to coat the sausages.
- Make another clear space in the pan, then add the red wine vinegar, allow it to sizzle and evaporate for a few seconds, then stir everything together once again.
- Pour 1 cup of the hot water into the pan, raise the heat and deglaze the pan as the water begins to bubble. Scrape up any remaining bits of fond from the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Rinse the can with the remaining cup of hot water and pour into pan. (You don't want to miss all of that yummy, expensive tomato residue that you just paid good money for.) Stir in a ¼ teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer at a gentle bubble for about 10 minutes, then add the beans. Return to a gentle boil and simmer for about 10 more minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. It should be a loose sauce that covers the beans and sausages. Season with additional salt if needed and freshly ground black pepper.
Creamy Polenta Recipe
- Use one cup dry polenta to 4 parts water or chicken stock. In a deep pot, bring liquid to a boil, add salt to taste.
- Slowly whisk the polenta into the boiling liquid, stirring constantly to get rid of any lumps.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook polenta, stirring frequently, until it is soft and creamy and pulling away from the sides of the pot.
Notes
- To cook the Italian sausages and tomato sauce, you will need a VERY large skillet - a deep one about 12 inches wide. This is a one-pan plan, but it's a BIG pan.
- When cooking polenta, use a large, deep pot, as it bubbles and splatters when it cooks.
- You'll want to use freshly cooked, soft and creamy polenta for this recipe, not the firm polenta that you slice.
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