Butternut Squash Polenta With Sausage and Onion

Name: Butternut Squash Polenta With Sausage and Onion
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed; 1 bay leaf; 1 cup fine polenta (not quick cooking); 5 ounces seeded and peeled butternut squash, coarsely grated (1 cup); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; Black pepper, as needed; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed; 1 1/2 pounds sweet or hot Italian pork sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds; 2 teaspoons minced rosemary; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional); 2 small onions, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch half moons; Rosemary sprigs, for garnish (optional)

By Melissa Clark

Updated Nov. 9, 2022

Butternut Squash Polenta With Sausage and Onion — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(1,208)
Comments: Read comments

In this savory, satisfying dinner, finely ground polenta and grated butternut squash are cooked together in one pot, the squash adding sweetness to the savory cornmeal. Then browned sausages and onions seasoned with rosemary and fennel seeds are spooned on top to round out the meal. It’s a dish simple enough for a weeknight, but the butternut squash makes it interesting enough to serve to guests.

If you can’t find finely ground polenta, you can substitute coarse; just add another cup of water and plan on cooking the mixture for an extra 10 to 15 minutes. You could also substitute coarsely ground cornmeal for the fine polenta. Try to avoid using instant (or quick-cooking) polenta, but if it's all you can find, add the squash, salt and bay leaf to the boiling water 15 minutes before stirring in the polenta, so the squash gets a chance to soften. Just do not use the prepared polenta that comes in a tube. You can grate the squash the day before and store it in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Featured in: Polenta’s Journey From Fancy to Familiar

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1½teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
1bay leaf
1cup fine polenta (not quick cooking)
5ounces seeded and peeled butternut squash, coarsely grated (1 cup)
3tablespoons unsalted butter
Black pepper, as needed
1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1½pounds sweet or hot Italian pork sausage, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2teaspoons minced rosemary
1teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
2small onions, peeled, halved, and sliced into ¼-inch half moons
Rosemary sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

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Step 1
In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine 4½ cups water, the salt and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in polenta. Stir in squash. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until polenta and squash are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. If the mixture gets too thick while cooking, add a little more water to the pot. Stir in butter and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 2
While polenta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, rosemary and fennel seeds if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is golden and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Do this in batches if necessary, adding oil if the pan looks dry.) Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Step 3
Add more oil to the skillet if it looks dry, then add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Return sausage to pan and stir to heat through. Spoon polenta into bowls and top with sausage and onion, garnished with rosemary if you like.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,208 user ratings

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Comments

Sandy7 years ago

I'm a big fan of polenta and its variations. I would have given this recipe 5 stars if it weren't for all the work involved with the squash. My shortcut is to roast the squash till tender, scrape out the pulp, then mash the pulp into an already cooked polenta.

C. G.7 years ago

I followed the directions the first time, and it was great. The next time I made it, I wanted more squash, so I sauted 1/2 diced squash (about 2 cups) in the butter and olive oil, and when it was almost done, I put it in the polenta as it was cooking. I put the fennel and rosemary into the onions as they cooked. I liked it even more.

Carey Larsen7 years ago

This is a favorite recipe for the middle of the week. The beautiful flecks of butternut squash in the polenta somehow retain their "squashy" taste. Prep tip - I peel only the top half of the squash. Then I hold on to the bottom, rounded half of the squash, and grate the top half on a box grater. No grated knuckles! I save the bottom half for another dish.

LB2 weeks ago

This was a bit blah. I recommend making the sausage-onion mixture more of a sauce by adding some tomatoes or else white wine as some suggest. It came out well but there wasn’t that much flavor. I would add garlic next time too.

jennifer4 months ago

Cut the squash in half (I used honey nut as it has more flavor), roast it flesh side down in the over with olive oil, salt and pepper, scoop out the flesh and add it to the portal when it is about 10-15 away from being done. I added fennel seeds and rosemary to the onions as I sautéed them, instead of adding them when cooking the sausage. Served with steamed broccoli tossed with a bit of olive oil and salt. Best thing about this is you can do much of the work in advance and then warm it all up on the stovetop right before serving. Be sure to put cling film right on top of the surface of the polenta if you are going to hold it for any amount to time before serving, so it doesn’t develop a skin.

Drake Baer5 months ago

Modifications: Some comments mentioned the polenta needed additional sweetness, so I added a very ripe pear (next time, a crunchy apple) and a teaspoon of dark brown sugar, along with two Parmesan rinds. I used half water and half chicken broth. Comments also suggested more squash was needed, so I halved all the ingredients but the squash, which made two very large or four medium servings. For additional depth, I added wild mushrooms with the onion, kept 2 tsp rosemary, which I added towards the end, and deglazed with white wine. Next time I’ll add sage with the rosemary. This really benefits from letting the polenta/squash meld with the sausage mixture for at least ten minutes before serving.

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