Italian Sausage and Peppers with Parmesan Polenta

Living with a growing, Italian boy, I am always trying to come up with satisfying dishes beyond the traditional pasta/meat with red sauce, chicken parmigiana, etc. Don't get me wrong. All those things are amazing, but if we ate them every day, we certainly would be tipping the scales!! Let's not forget - it's Wedding year, so healthy is the new craze at our house.

Gary is usually in charge of cooking when it comes to the Italian meals in the family. Howerver, I thought I would give it a shot this time, adding polenta to the dish to make it MY version of sausage and peppers. It was a huge success!! The peppers and onions along with the juice from the sausage make for wonderful flavors all around when paired with the polenta.

This recipe is easy for any day of the week, and is sure to please even your pickiest eater!

Italian Sausage and Peppers with Parmesan Polenta
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
6 Hot Italian sausage links (turkey Italian sausage works great too!)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green bell peppers, sliced thin
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup instant polenta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
fresh thyme (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, green peppers, and onion. Saute until slightly browned. Add 1/4 cup water, turn down to low, cover, and let simmer.
2. Meanwhile, on a Foreman grill or in a separate pan, cook sausages until no longer pink. Remove from heat, and cut into slices.
3. Add sliced sausage and thyme to the pepper and onion mixture, mix well, season with salt and pepper.
4. In a separate sauce pan, cook polenta according to package directions. For a creamier polenta, use a little more water than the package calls for.
5. Once polenta is done, add Parmesan cheese and mix well.
6. Spread with spatula onto a plate. Sprinkle with more Parmesan. Place heaping spoonfuls of sausage and peppers onto polenta, and drizzle with juices.