Fast Meals Edition One: Polenta & Sausage
I don’t claim to be an expert on nutrition nor am I a culinary extraodinaire, but after four years of evening track practices and a year of late-nite swims, I’m fairly adept at whipping up a quick meal for two. There’s no hunger like a post-practice hunger, and the longer my stomach is in the red zone, the worse it is for everyone!
That being said, I introduce to you a new series of blog posts that I’ll be writing all about fast, easy, and delicious meals that are perfect for triathletes and other, more sane folk, who just happen to be really busy. I won’t make any promises on the projected frequency of the posts, but I’m hoping some of my teammates will hop on board and get some activity going on the blog.
Today’s recipe is a winner because it only requires 3 ingredients, and they don’t spoil easily.
Total Time: 15 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- Polenta (in a tube)
- Sausage (You can load up on some Adele’s or the good stuff from Whole Foods and freeze it)
- Pasta sauce
I hadn't heard of polenta until my sophomore year of college, so if you haven't yet discovered it, this is what to look for in the pasta aisle. Safeway doesn't carry it, so I usually stock up at Whole Foods.
Optional ingredients:
- spices (i.e. paprika)
- peppers and onions (ideal if the sausage is bland)
- cheese to shred for topping
Preparation:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan
2. Slice polenta into 1/4-1/2″ slices and place into pan
3. Slice sausage and fry in a different pan with a little olive oil. If you’re adding peppers and onion, sautè the onion first, then cook the sausage in the same pan, and then add the peppers last.
4. When polenta becomes a darker yellow or begins to brown you can remove from heat.
Polenta and paprika. Most of these are done and ready to eat, but I threw some extra in at the last minute because Jordan was looking especially ravenous.
5. When the sausage is almost done, heat some sauce in a small pot
6. Once the sausage is done, and the sauce is hot, you’re all set.
7. Normally, I put some polenta slices onto a plate, add the sauce and sausages, and top with cheese.
1 step closer to happiness.
That’s all for today! If anyone has any recipes to share, please leave a comment. And let me know if you gave this one a try! I promise, it’s really good! …if you like sausage, polenta, and pasta sauce. =)
