Mushroom Sausage Ragu with polenta

I am BAACCCKKK!!

Yes I realize I took a long hiatus!   It turns out starting a new job and trying to plan a wedding...well it takes a lot of time away from your normal routine.

But I am back...albeit with a new last name ;)  So let the food blogging begin again!

Fall is upon us already.  When it starts to get gloomy and dark, dinner is all about warm and comfy foods!

We had some frozen hot sausage links in the freezer so I looked for some recipes which would allow me to use our two lonely sausage links.  Go me for trying to get stuff out of our freezer.  (Yes I know two little sausage links don't take up much room...but it's all about taking baby steps!)

I found a recipe for Mushroom Sausage Ragu with polenta.  Here is the link to the original recipe online.  I made a few adjustments so wherever you see the * sign, that means I deviated from the original recipe.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mushroom-sausage-rag-with-polenta-10000002012806/

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 2 hot sausage links
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced*
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided*
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth $
• 1 1/2 cups milk*
• 1 cup uncooked corn meal*
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese*
• 1/2 tablespoon butter *
• 1 tsp dried thyme*

As always, before I start cooking, I chop all needed veggies

1.  Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Remove sausage from casings. Add sausage to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove sausage from pan.

2.  Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in sausage, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium; simmer gently for 15 minutes.


3. Bring broth and 1 1/2 cups milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cornmeal and thyme, stirring well.   Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, cheese, and butter. Serve with sausage mixture.

I served some fresh sauteed garlic greens with the ragu.  Makes for excellent leftovers for lunch the next day!