italian sausage and peppers on asiago polenta.

Let me tell you a little something about sausage.  It’s a staple in our frugal foodie family.  So versatile, so good.  And you can find delicious turkey or chicken sausage so it’s better for you than pork.  Yay!

So I whipped this dish up tonight after working all day.  It seriously took about 25 minutes.  I think it took longer for Emma to set the table, her new job earning her a whopping $1 per week.

Throw some sausages in a pan with some nonstick spray or a dash of olive oil.

Slice up some peppers and red onion.  I also threw in some zucchini since it was looking a little lonely after a few days in the fridge by itself.

Have you tried polenta?  It’s seriously AMAZING!  And so easy to whip up.  The best part is you can plop just about anything on top of this creamy goodness, or fry it up in little crispy squares or triangles.

Italian Sausage and Peppers on Asiago Polenta

(serves 4)

What You’ll Need:

Sausage and Peppers

1 pound sausage ($2.99/lb)

1 red onion, sliced ($.50 at $.99/lb)

3 cloves garlic, minced ($.09 at $.03 per clove)

1 cup red wine ($.50 of $2 buck chuck!)

1 red bell pepper, sliced ($.99 each)

Asiago Polenta

2 tablespoons butter ($.22 at $.11/tablespoon)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ($.16 at $.08/tablespoon)

2 garlic cloves ($.06 at $.03/clove)

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

2 cups chicken stock ($1.00)

2 cups milk ($1.00)

1 cup cornmeal ($.35 at $.69/pound)

1/4 cup asiago cheese ($.31 at $4.99/pound)

Instructions:

Sausage and Peppers

In a skillet or saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat until crispy and browned on all sides. Remove, slice into half inch thick rounds and return to pan until cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Over medium-high heat, saute the onion (adding olive oil if necessary) in the same pan the sausage cooked in. When tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes, add the garlic and saute a minute more.

Add the wine to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the peppers and fennel cooking about 3 minutes more until the peppers are tender but still brightly colored. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Asiago Polenta

Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute.  Add chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the hot milk while stirring constantly with a whisk.  Cook over low heat for a few minutes until bubbly and thick.  Turn off the heat and stir in Asiago.

TOTAL:  $8.17 or $2.04 per serving.

Nutrition:

480 calories per serving

22 grams of fat

40 carbs

21 grams protein