Quick Polenta with Sausage and Mushroom Ragù. A very delicious but quick polenta, but if you want you can also use slow-cooking cornmeal for polenta, I use pre-cooked to prepare it in a few minutes. I start by preparing the sausage and mushroom ragù in the pan and then once cooked I dedicate a few minutes to the polenta, and by the time the polenta is done cooking, the quick sauce in the pan will be ready to dress my delicious polenta. I don’t know if you are used to eating polenta, but I like it a lot, and on colder days I prepare it to enjoy with a good meat ragù. Today I wanted to make it with homemade sausage ragù which has a special taste and fresh cremini mushrooms I had available. It will take just a few minutes to bring a delicious dish to the table, and if you like, I can explain a trick to avoid lumps with pre-cooked polenta.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for Quick Polenta with Sausage and Mushroom Ragù
- 1 cup instant cornmeal
- 3 cups water
- 0.35 oz butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 3.5 oz fresh Calabrian sausage
- 5 oz cremini mushrooms
- 7 oz tomato puree
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
Tools for Preparing Polenta with Sausage and Mushrooms
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cooking Spatula
- 1 Knife
Steps for Preparing Quick Polenta with Sausage and Mushroom Ragù
Let’s start preparing the ragù. Slice the cleaned mushrooms. In a pan, add olive oil and a clove of garlic, and if desired, some chili pepper. Add the mushrooms and start to sauté. Remove the sausage from its casing, crumble it, and add to the mushrooms, let it brown, then add the tomato puree, a little salt, a bit of water, and cook covered. It will be ready in about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the polenta. To avoid lumps, we can put the cornmeal directly into the pot with the water little by little, mixing to obtain a smooth mixture without lumps, then add all the water, a little salt, and bring to cook. Add a little butter to flavor it and mix until you get the desired consistency. If you want it softer, just use more water. Alternatively, you can use the classic cooking method by pouring the cornmeal into boiling water and stirring.
Divide the polenta into 2 bowls and cover with the thick ragù. If desired, add grated cheese.
For a quick preparation, I used pre-cooked polenta flour, alternatively, you can use non-pre-cooked flour for slower cooking, and the ragù can also be slow-cooked in a pot. The way I made it is fast and suitable for those in a hurry but still want to eat a hearty dish.
