Roasted Vegetables & Italian Sausage with Polenta

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup polenta
• 1 small fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound), stem and fronds removed, sliced thin
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 (4-ounce) lean Italian turkey sausage links
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. 2. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Combine 4 cups water and polenta, and pour into prepared baking dish. Set aside.
3. 3. Place fennel in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Add bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano. Toss to coat. Arrange turkey sausage on top, and add 1 cup water.
4. 4. Bake sausage and vegetables, uncovered, at 425° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; turn sausages, and toss vegetables. Place half of vegetable mixture on top of sausages before returning baking dish to oven.
5. 5. Reduce temperature to 350°. Stir polenta mixture lightly, and place baking dish in oven. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove polenta from oven; stir gently with a fork, and return to oven. Bake both dishes an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables are completely soft and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a sausage registers 170°. Remove from oven.
6. 6. Stir polenta with a fork; polenta will continue to thicken as it stands. Serve polenta and sausage topped with vegetables and pan sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.