Sausage Polenta quick, filling dinner

Getting out the door in time to do some serious trick-or-treating calls for a warm, filling and fast dinner.

So get your young ghouls and witches off to a good start with this speedy recipe for cheesy soft polenta topped with a sauté of chicken sausages, roasted red peppers, greens and mushrooms.

The trick here is to use as many convenience items as possible, such as instant polenta, bagged shredded cheese, precooked sausage, sliced mushrooms and jarred roasted red peppers.

If your family isn’t into polenta, the same sausage and vegetable mixture also goes well with pasta, or even spooned into sliced baguettes or sub rolls. Instant polenta can be found in the pasta or Italian section of most grocers.

While kale is called for in the recipe, any bagged hearty green (such as spinach) works fine. And if you don’t have fresh rosemary, a sprinkle of Italian herb mix is great.

Thus fortified, perhaps your little trick-or-treaters won’t down quite so much candy while on the haunt. Or not.

Sausage Polenta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)

4-ounce package sliced button mushrooms (about 2 cups)

12-ounce package cooked chicken sausages, mild Italian flavor, cut into chunks (about 5 sausages)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped (about 2 to 3 cups chopped)

12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (about 4 peppers)

1 1/2 cups instant polenta

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.

While the water heats, in a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion, mushrooms, sausages, garlic and rosemary. Sauté until the sausage is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the kale and roasted red peppers to the skillet and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the greens are wilted. Set aside.

Stir the polenta into the boiling water. It will become very thick. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add the cheese and stir for another minute. Season both the polenta and sausage mixture with salt and pepper.

To serve, spread about a cup of the polenta over each serving plate, then top with sausages and vegetables.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.