This polenta recipe will comfort you any time of year! It’s a very simple, stove-top preparation with only a few ingredients, but it’s packed with flavor secrets from centuries of Italian grandmothers! An easy Italian sausage recipe when you want something a little different.
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I’ve had this little gem of a creamy polenta recipe from Lidia ready for you for a while, but it seems like a pretty appropriate time to finally post it, because Italian sausage recipes are so comforting when it’s cold out and you’re stuck in an ice-maggeddon like we were this weekend. 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.)
To make the Italian sausage recipe part of this dish, you will need a VERY large skillet. (6-quart capacity, 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.
Related recipes: How about Chocolate Mousse for dessert?
Italian Sausage with Creamy Polenta and Cannelini Beans
Adapted slightly from Lidia’s Italy
6 sweet Italian sausages
1 small onion, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cups hot water
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 can cannellini beans
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
cracked black pepper
Polenta – 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.
Creamy polenta recipe instructions:
One cup dry polenta to 4 parts water or chicken stock.
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.
You’ll want to use freshly cooked, soft and creamy polenta for this recipe.
Italian sausage recipe instructions:
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, then add the red wine vinegar, allow 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 1/4 tsp 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.
Italian Sausage with Creamy Polenta and Cannelini Beans
This polenta recipe will comfort you in the cold! It's a very simple, stove-top preparation with only a few ingredients, but it's packed with flavor secrets from centuries of Italian grandmothers! An easy Italian sausage recipe when you want something different.
Ingredients
- 6 sweet Italian sausages
- 1 onion small, chopped
- 3 slices bacon diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp 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 tsp kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
- polenta 1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked
Instructions
Italian Sausage Recipe
-
You will need a VERY large skillet. (6-quart capacity, about 12 inches wide.) This is a one-pan plan, but it's a BIG pan. You could us a dutch oven if that is all you have, just be diligent about getting the sausages nice and browned.
-
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, then add the red wine vinegar, allow 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 1/4 tsp 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.
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For the polenta: prepare as directed on package, freshly cooked, soft and creamy. Or follow Lidia's recipe at Lidiasitaly.com.
Creamy Polenta Recipe
-
Use one cup dry polenta to 4 parts water or chicken stock. 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.
Recipe Notes
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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