Sausage & Polenta
This sausage and polenta meal prep recipe is sponsored by Al Fresco. All opinions are my own.
Since my husband starting following a more specific diet last summer, things have changed a bit in our kitchen. Some of the changes are small while others are more major. Since breads and pasta are some of the big no-nos on the diet, we’ve found other grains and starches to accompany the protein and veggies. Polenta has become one of our go-tos. I love how easy it is to make and how tasty it is with the right toppings.
Besides swapping out ingredients and recipes, one of the other changes we’ve made is more meal prepping for his lunches.
When we first started on the diet, it was a lot of work to come up with appropriate dishes every night for dinner. Then we had to worry about his lunch as well.
While I can usually come up with ideas for dinner, we decided to do more meal prepping for his lunch. The habit has been a life saver.
We always bulk make the starch – rice, millet, and polenta. And we always make extra of whatever protein we’re having, cooking enough for dinner and leftover lunches. Then we divvy this all up between his lunch containers, add veggies, and we’re good to go!
Since I always have a soft spot for marinara/tomato sauce dinners, we have them fairly often. With this polenta and marinara setup, I LOVE adding sweet Italian style chicken sausage. I love that these fully cooked sausages can be easily grilled up for dinner or added to his lunch containers for easy reheating. Talk about perfect!
Sausage and Polenta
Ok. So sausage and polenta is great for make ahead lunches and dinner ideas, but can we just talk about how delectable the combination is? It all comes together super fast, but it tastes so, so amazing!
It’s comforting food at its core! We often keep a package of Al Fresco sausage in our fridge or freezer for dinner recipes and make ahead lunches.
Another great part about this recipe is that you can add more grilled veggies to the sauce or even just to each container. You can top it with mozzarella, parmesan, or cheddar cheese. Heck. You could go crazy and add all three!
And then if you’re like me, you’ll add some chili flakes at the end for a bit of kick!!
Looking for other recipes with chicken sausage? Try this chicken sausage pasta for dinner, a delicious fall salad topped with sliced chicken sausage, and the most beautiful, healthy smoked sausage recipe with veggies. And don’t skip this easy chicken sausage breakfast bowl that’s SUCH a good, easy dinner idea!
If you love polenta, try this cheddar polenta with jalapeños and these homemade crispy polenta fries!
SAUSAGE AND POLENTA
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal or cornmeal grits
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 4 al fresco Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage
- 2 cups prepared marinara
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Stir together the cornmeal and 1 cup of the water in a large saucepan. Turn to medium-low heat and stir. Meanwhile boil the remaining 3 cups of water either on the stove or in an electric kettle.
- While stirring, pour the boiling water into the polenta. Continue to stir and then allow it to come to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the polenta reaches your desired thickness. This will take 7 to 15 minutes, depending on how thick you would like it and what style of cornmeal you use.
- While the polenta simmers, heat the sausages in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until browned on each side and warmed through, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the basil, parmesan (if using), and the salt.
- Divide the polenta among 4 meal prep containers. Slice each sausage link and place one over the polenta in each container. Portion a ½ cup of sauce and place in each container for serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
