Italian Sausage and Vegetables with Polenta

1 pound Italian sausage
2 cups sliced onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms, cleaned
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (17-ounce) package pre-cooked garlic flavored polenta, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 1/2 cups shredded Provolone cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Squeeze sausage out of the casings into a large heavy skillet. Over medium heat, sauté sausage, breaking up sausage into small pieces. Cook until sausage is no longer pink.
Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon and drain well on clean paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon pan drippings and discard other drippings.
Reheat same large heavy skillet over medium heat and add reserved 1 tablespoon pan drippings. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is soft. Add mushrooms and zucchini. Cook and stir frequently until all liquid evaporates. Stir in tomatoes, herbs, red pepper flakes and salt. Return sausage to pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spread an even scant layer (about 2/3 cup) of sauce on bottom of an 11x7 inch baking pan. Add a single layer of sliced polenta rounds. Layer with 2 cups of sausage sauce, followed by 3/4 cup of Provolone. Finish with an additional layer of polenta rounds, all the sausage sauce and all the Provolone. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese atop.
Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Garnish each serving with fresh basil leaves.

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Italian Sausage Casserole Recipe

1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, browned, cut into 2" pieces
2 onions, sliced
2 medium potatoes, diced in 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
28 ounces Canned tomatoes (3 cups), diced with juice

Combine all ingredients in large covered casserole and bake in a 350° oven for about 1 1/2 hours.
Serves 4.

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Italian Sausage Casserole with Wild Rice

1 package (4 ounces) wild rice
1 package (6 ounces) long-grain and wild rice mix
1/2 pound bulk sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper or combination of red and green
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 can (10 1/2 ounce) cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions for sausage casserole
Cook wild rice in water, following package directions, but for 45 minutes. Cook the long-grain and wild rice mix for 15 minutes, with just water. Save the seasoning pack to add later.

Drain rices and rinse with hot water.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown sausage; remove sausage with a slotted spoon. If sausage was very fatty, drain fat into a small cup and return 2 to 3 teaspoons of the drippings to the skillet. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, and chopped celery. Sauté until onion is just tender then add the sliced mushrooms. Continue to cook until mushrooms are golden brown and vegetables are tender.

In a large bowl, combine sausage, cooked vegetables, cooked and drained rices, seasoning packet, the shredded cheese, and condensed soup. Transfer sausage mixture to a shallow 2-quart casserole (9-inch square baking dish or 11x7-inch). Cover with foil and bake sausage casserole at 325° for 55 to 60 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

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Italian Sausage Recipe
site: www.recipezaar.com/104211
Soon after I joined the Laurita Family I was introduced to the classic sausage and peppers recipe.

Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe - Italian Food
site: www.bellaonline.com/articles/art37131.asp
This homemade sausage recipe is easier than you might think, and can control the quality of your ingredients.

Sweet Italian Sausage Recipe - Italian Food
site: www.bellaonline.com/articles/art41656.asp
Italian sausage and onion are cooked and placed on rolls with mozzarella cheese then baked or microwaved.

Italian Sausage Sandwich - Italian Sausage Sandwich with Mozzarella Cheese
site: southernfood.about.com/od/sandwiches/r/bl30202n.htm
Italian Sausage Soup Recipe - Recipezaar: The World's Smartest Cookbook.

Italian Sausage Soup Recipe
site: www.recipezaar.com/browse/getrecipe.zsp?id=480%26path=00D05E