Turkey sausage—especially the hot and spicy kind—is excellent in this dish. Wild mushrooms add a hearty flavor that complements the sausage, but common white mushrooms do just fine here as well. To use dried mushrooms, place in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and steep while you prepare the rest of the ingredients (ten to twenty minutes). When softened, drain well and slice. If using frozen spinach, try to break the block into a few pieces to spread around in the pot. If it is simply too hard to break, don’t worry. It will still cook fine, although you may find you need to cook the meal another five to ten minutes for the polenta to soften completely. As always with these recipes, use your nose as your guide.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Step 2
Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with olive oil.
Step 3
Pour the polenta in the bottom of the pot and add the liquid. Stir to smooth the grains into an even layer, then sprinkle in a large pinch of the garlic and basil.
Step 4
Add the sausages, followed by the mushrooms, bell pepper, and carrot.
Step 5
Sprinkle another large pinch of garlic and basil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Add the spinach and the rest of the garlic and basil.
Step 7
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan, if desired.
nutrition information
Step 8
Calories: 414
Step 9
Protein: 23g
Step 10
Carbohydrates: 34g
Step 11
Fat: 21g
Step 12
Cholesterol: 47mg
Step 13
Sodium: 689mg
Step 14
Fiber: 2g
