We’re all looking for easy meals to feed our family that won’t make us feel too guilty, especially now with the New Year! In this new installment of our Chic 3 Dollar Dinners, we’ve incorporated browned sausage, mushrooms and cheese into polenta! It’s Sausage and Mushroom Polenta and it happens to be very tasty!
We begin by browning the sausage, onions and mushrooms in a large skillet with a bit of oil.
While the sausage and mushrooms do their thing, you can get the polenta going. Start by heating up the milk and water on the stove.
You can then stir in the polenta and cook it until thick and creamy.
In case you didn’t know, grits and polenta are basically the same thing. And they’re both made from coarse ground cornmeal.
Just because this isn’t decadent enough for us, we’re going to add some cheese and butter to the polenta.
Stir the cheese until melted and then serve it with the browned sausage and mushrooms on top. Garnish with a bit of chopped scallions or parsley on top to bring out a pop of color, but also for taste.
You can keep things vegetarian by omitting the sausage and just adding more mushrooms, or incorporating more veggies like zucchini, squash or eggplant!
Next time you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner to make for you and your family, give this recipe a try. It’s super easy to whip up on those especially long week days after work!
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (hot or sweet)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound mushrooms, crimini or white button, sliced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the sausage, breaking it down with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sausage has browned and crisped. Add in the onions and mushrooms and cook until softened. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Reduce heat to low.
- To make the polenta, bring the water, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a medium pot. Slowly stream in the cornmeal while whisking. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook (stirring often) until mixture is thick and creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, cheese and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir until melted.
- Serve with sausage and mushrooms spooned on top. Garnish with scallions.
