Sausage, peppers and polenta, oh my!

For dinner last night I made sausage and peppers over soft polenta. This is one of my favorite dinners from my childhood and it's super easy too.

Sausage & Peppers over soft polenta

1 16oz package of Italian sausage, semi-frozen & sliced diagonally
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper (take your pick!), cored and sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1  8oz can of tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper, to taste
Optional:  grated Parmesan cheese

Polenta
1 C of cornmeal
2 C water
2 C chicken stock or broth
2 TBS olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss the peppers, onions, mushrooms, basil, oregano and garlic with olive oils in a large baking dish. Add diced tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce, S&P, and red pepper flakes, and coat veggies & sausage with tomato mixture.Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, and continue baking for 20 more minutes.

Once you've removed the foil, start making your polenta. Add the chicken stock/broth and 1 cup of water to a large sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Combine the cornmeal with the remaining cup of water and stir with a fork until smooth and free of lumps (I like to do this right in my Pyrex measuring cup). Slowly add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling liquid and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.

Serve sausage and peppers over polenta, top with grated Parmesan cheese if you want (I want!). Pour a glass of Cabernet and buon appetito!