Microwave polenta with sausage and marinara
Soft, cheesy polenta whisked together in the microwave and topped with crumbled Italian sausage in marinara, a cozy bowl for under two dollars.
- 20 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $1.99 a serving
- 670 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- 4 oz Italian sausage
- ⅓ cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 tsp butter
From your pantry
- 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 670 calories, 24 g protein, 42 g carbs and 45 g fat, and costs about $1.99 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into a microwave-safe bowl and break it into small pieces with the fork.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cover with a paper towel and microwave 1½ minutes, break it up, then microwave 1 to 1½ minutes more, until no pink is left.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Food safety: Raw pork sausage is done at 160°F and raw chicken or turkey sausage at 165°F. Precooked sausage just needs heating until hot all the way through.
Pour off the fat onto a wad of paper towel, stir the marinara into the sausage, and set it aside.
the cornmeal, water and salt together in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Set the bowl on a plate and microwave uncovered 2 minutes, well, then microwave 2 minutes more and whisk again.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Timer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: Polenta goes lumpy if you skip the whisking. Get right into the edges of the bowl.Microwave 1 to 2 minutes more, until it’s thick enough that a line drawn with the fork holds its shape.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: It spits as it thickens. A paper towel laid loosely on top keeps it off the walls.in the milk, parmesan and butter until smooth and creamy.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Microwave the sausage sauce 1 minute until bubbling, pour it over the polenta, and add of red pepper flakes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Timer: 1 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Microwave pizza baked potato
16 min
Microwave cauliflower cheese with ham
15 min
Microwave spamsilog (Spam, garlic rice and eggs)
15 min
Microwave cheesy grits with ham and egg
12 min
30-minute dinners ›Cozy comfort food ›What to make with Italian sausage and parmesan ›