Italian-Style Beef with Polenta

4 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Photo: John Autry
Hands-on Time
40 Mins
Total Time
40 Mins
Yield
Serves 4
By David Bonom
October 2011
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

This hearty meat sauce with cheesy polenta is a nice change from spaghetti.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry coarse-ground polenta
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Dash of kosher salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce (such as McCutcheon's)
  • 1/2 cup torn fresh basil

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 487
  • Fat 15.5g
  • Satfat 7.2g
  • Monofat 5.3g
  • Polyfat 0.6g
  • Protein 29.3g
  • Carbohydrate 80.9g
  • Fiber 5g
  • Cholesterol 73mg
  • Iron 3.2mg
  • Sodium 695mg
  • Calcium 266mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Place first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan. Gradually add 2 cups water and milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/3 cup cheese.

Step 2

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes. Stir to crumble. Remove beef; drain. Wipe pan; coat with cooking spray. Add onion, pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and garlic; sauté for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beef and sauce; simmer 8 minutes.

Step 3

Divide polenta evenly among 4 shallow bowls. Top each serving with 1 cup beef mixture; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons cheese and 2 tablespoons basil.

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Ratings & Reviews

MallorySue's Review

steponme
May 07, 2012
N/A

diademlee's Review

MallorySue
December 15, 2011
Solid and doesnt take very long to make. I also replace the water with low sodium chicken broth for the polenta and bison instead of ground beef.

ttichacek's Review

diademlee
October 10, 2011
I thought this recipe was great. Quick, easy and delicious. I made a few changes - I used farro polenta and cooked it in chicken broth and added a little butter once it was done cooking along with the cheese. Also substituted ground bison for ground beef and added more red pepper flakes for a kick. I'll definitely make this again!

steponme's Review

ttichacek
September 30, 2011
Yes, the polenta is a nice change from pasta, the meat sauce was good and my family enjoyed it. I'm giving it 3 stars b/c it's a great, quick weeknight meal (so don't let the rating persaude you not to try it) and I'll make it again, but I jus don't think I'd serve it for a special occasion and it didn't knock my socks off. Note: I used 5 minute polenta, which made prep time even quicker.
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