Polenta with sausage is an easy sheet-pan dinner that combines Italian sausage and sliced polenta with roasted peppers, tomatoes and fresh basil. There's almost no prep work required, just combine the ingredients on a sheet-pan for this gorgeous dinner bursting with Italian flavors.
If you're looking for a creamy polenta recipe, try my easy creamy Instant Pot polenta.
If you want a really easy weeknight dinner that looks amazing when you set it on the table, try this combination of baked polenta slices with sausage and peppers.
The polenta slices are crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. The sausage is browned and juicy and the tomatoes and peppers are roasted to perfection. Topped with fresh basil leaves (and optional cheese!) this is favorite easy sheet-pan dinner.
Looking for more meals with Italian flavor? Try Instant Pot chicken parmesan pasta or lentil soup with Italian sausage.
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Ingredients & Variations
Sausage: I use sweet Italian sausage for this recipe, but you can use any type of raw sausage. Don't use pre-cooked sausage, unless you want to wait and add it in the last 10 minutes of roasting (otherwise it might get dry and overcooked).
Peppers: Mini sweet bell peppers are really colorful and convenient because you can roast them whole. They're sold in bags in the produce department.
Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes can be roasted whole, or sliced in half if they're large.
Other vegetables: You can make this recipe using other types of vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli or zucchini.
Sliced polenta: Tubes of pre-cooked shelf stable polenta are ready to be sliced, heated and served. Polenta tubes are sold at most grocery stores. Look for polenta tubes near the packages of uncooked polenta or in the pasta aisle.
If you'd like to make your own homemade sliced polenta, try this recipe for baked polenta. The warm baked polenta can be poured into an 8x8 pan and then chilled until firm and sliceable.
Basil: Fresh basil adds vibrant color and flavor and makes this meal a little more special. If necessary, you can skip the basil or use parsley instead.
Shallot: Thinly sliced shallot adds more flavor to this recipe, but isn't absolutely necessary. You could also substitute thinly sliced onion.
Add cheese: You can grate parmesan over the finished meal or add shredded mozzarella in the last five minutes so it melts over the entire sheet-pan. Yum!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions for Polenta with Sausage
For detailed instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Spread peppers, tomatoes and sliced shallot out on a sheet-pan lined with foil.
Step 2: Add sausage and prick each sausage link 4 times with a paring knife to prevent bursting. Toss everything in a generous coating of olive oil. Bake 20 minutes at 450F.
Step 3: Add sliced polenta to the pan. Roast 10 minutes more.
Step 4: Broil for about 2 minutes for extra crispy sausage and veggies. Add fresh basil before serving. Cheese is optional!
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Just follow my recipe for creamy baked polenta and/or Instant Pot polenta. You can follow the recipe here to roast the sausage, peppers and tomatoes separately, then combine the creamy polenta with the roasted sausage and peppers for dinner.
Slices can be fried in a pan, grilled, or warmed in the oven. The flavor of polenta is mild so it pairs well with most types of meat and vegetables.
Any type of sausage pairs well with polenta, including roasted kielbasa. Polenta is also good with shredded pork shoulder or cider-braised pork and pork meatballs. Short-ribs and other cuts of beef pair will polenta, and so does Instant Pot bolognese.
More Sheet-Pan Recipes
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Polenta with Sausage
Polenta with sausage is an easy sheet-pan dinner that combines Italian sausage and sliced polenta with roasted peppers, tomatoes and fresh basil. There's almost no prep work required!
I usually serve this meal with a toasted baguette and an arugula salad on the side. You might also consider roasting a second sheet-pan of roasted vegetables to bulk up the dinner.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Sheet-pan
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: Italian American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw Italian sausage (sweet or hot)
- 1 pound mini sweet bell peppers (or 3 regular bell peppers, sliced into 1-inch wide strips)
- 8 to 16 ounces cherry tomatoes (halved if large)
- One 18 to 24-oz tube of polenta, sliced into ½-inch thick slices
- 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450F. Line a sheet-pan with foil.
- Spread the peppers, tomatoes and shallot out on the sheet-pan.
- Add the sausage to the pan. Toss everything in a generous coating of olive oil. Prick each sausage link 4 times down the length of the sausage with a paring knife to prevent bursting.
- Roast for 20 minutes. Add the polenta slices to the pan. Flip the sausages.
- Roast 10 minutes more.
- Optional: Turn on the broiler and broil the sheet-pan for about 2 minutes, turning the sheet-pan once, to evaporate some moisture and brown the sausage and veggies even more.
- Scatter fresh basil leaves over the sheet-pan. I let the sheet-pan cool slightly, then put it directly on the table for serving.
Notes
If you don't cover the pan with foil, the sausages will stick and burn to the pan slightly.
Adding cheese is optional. You can cover the sheet pan with shredded mozzarella in the last 5 minutes of roasting in the oven or you can grate parmesan over the sheet-pan before serving.
This recipe can work well with other types of vegetables too, such as broccoli, cauliflower and/or zucchini. You can also add a can of drained garbanzo beans to the pan.
You can use a different type of raw sausage. Don't use pre-cooked sausage or it might turn dry if heated for 30 minutes in the oven.
Jenny Meier says
I love how easy this dinner is to throw together. Plus, lots of flavor and it looks amazing on the table!