Hearty Sausage Stew

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

62 people added this to their Recipe Box

This recipe makes 4 servings

Nutritional Info
Per serving: about	-
cal	308308 cal
pro	17 g17g pro
total fat	9 g9g total fat
sat. fat	3 g3g sat. fat
carb	42 g42g carb
fibre	5 g5g fibre
chol	22 mg22mg chol
sodium	1 mg1mg sodium
% RDI:	-
calcium	1818 calcium
iron	2323 iron
vit A	3333 vit A
vit C	9292 vit C
folate	2525 folate

Challenge: If you think it's only the kids who get impatient when they're hungry and supper's not ready, meet my husband, George. He has to watch his fat intake, so I aim to serve lightened-up but satisfying suppers. Solution: I've found a way to feed George and myself quickly with a few of his favourite ingredients. Start with sausages: he adores them but can't have too many. He also loves stew, so a sausage-flavoured chunky tomato stew makes an ideal supper over polenta or linguine. It's quick enough to keep him happy, and because I use only 8 oz (250 g) lean sausage for four servings, I don't feel guilty. The plus is having leftovers to reheat for lunch or freeze for him to have on evenings when I'm out.

Ingredients

2 2lean Italian sausagelean Italian sausages, (8 oz/250 g total)
1 large onion , chopped1 1large oniononions, chopped
1 small sweet yellow pepper , chopped1 1small sweet yellow peppersweet yellow peppers or sweet red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves , slivered3 3garlic clovegarlic cloves, slivered
1 tsp dried oregano 1 1tsp tspdried oregano
1/4 tsp fennel seeds , crushed1/4 1/4tsp tspfennel seeds, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 1/4tsp tsppepper
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes 1 1can can(28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 1/4cup cupgrated Parmesan cheese
Spinach Polenta:
4 cups (1 L) water 4 4cups cups(1 L) water
1/2 tsp salt 1/2 1/2tsp tspsalt
1 cup cornmeal 1 1cup cupcornmeal
1/4 1/4bag bag(10 oz/284 g) fresh spinach, shredded

Preparation

Cut sausages into generous 1/4-inch (5 mm) slices. In heavy saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausages all over, 5 to 8 minutes; drain off any fat.

Add onion, yellow pepper, garlic, oregano, fennel and pepper; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; swish 1/2 cup (125 mL) water in can and add to pan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until liquid thickens enough to coat wooden spoon.

Spinach Polenta: Meanwhile, in large covered measure or microwaveable bowl, bring water and salt to boil. Whisk in cornmeal; cover and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking twice, for about 6 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spinach. Let stand for 3 minutes.

Spoon polenta into bowls. Top with sausage mixture; sprinkle with cheese.

Additional information :

Time-Saver: While the stew simmers, I make the polenta, usually in the microwave, and put together 2 bowls of salad to enjoy while we wait.

Tip: Even though frozen spinach is faster, I find it stringy and not as tasty as fresh, so I buy fresh whenever possible and use it for salads or in polenta or rice. I even add it to pasta before draining to provide a starch and a vegetable at the same time.