I absolutely
LOVE Polenta. I’ve made it a few
different ways, but this is my favorite: as a delicious and hearty
breakfast. It could also be served like
this, but without the eggs, as a side dish for lunch or dinner. This recipe will serve two. The rule of thumb for polenta – use four
times as much liquid as the dry polenta.
This is a very versatile grain.
See the “notes” at the end of the recipe for other ways I’ve prepared
this.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup
water
2 garlic
cloves grated into the water
Pinch of red
pepper flakes
1 chicken
bouillon cube
1/3 cup dry
polenta
Approximately
3 ounces of grated cheddar cheese
Drizzle of
milk
4 oz.
Italian Mild (or Sweet) Sausage, crumbled and fried
2 eggs,
fried over easy or medium – depending upon your preference
Directions:
Add the water, grated garlic, pepper flakes and bouillon
cube in a small pot. Bring to a
boil. Add the polenta to the boiling
water and whisk until fully incorporated and the polenta begins to thicken. Make sure the water is evaporated and the
polenta is fully cooked, whisking occasionally.
This only takes a few minutes. Drizzle
a little milk into the polenta to give a creamier texture. Whisk well.
Add the cheese to the polenta and stir for a minute to allow
cheese to melt. Turn off the heat and let it set while you fry
the eggs.
Add the cooked Italian sausage to the polenta. Stir to incorporate.
Divide the cheesy polenta with sausage into two bowls. Top each with a fried egg.
Notes: You can pretty
much add whatever you’d like to the polenta.
Sometimes I add bacon instead of the sausage – sometimes I add both. I’ve used pepper jack cheese and green
chilies and a touch of chili powder for a “Tex Mex” flair. I sautéed onions and tomatoes and added those
with bacon.
As a dinner/lunch side dish – I’ve used
gorgonzola cheese and sage with a little butter. I’ve also made the polenta a bit more calorie
friendly using a recipe from Cooking Light.
You can find that recipe HERE.
