This dinner comes together quickly thanks to store-bought polenta, a shortcut that gets forgotten about too often! The sausage, peas, and parmesan provide rich flavor, while the polenta makes a quick, cozy landing pad for the sauce.
Slice the polenta into 1/2"-thick rounds.
Preheat the griddle for 2-zone cooking—turn one burner to low and the rest to medium. Preheat for 10 minutes.
Smash the Italian sausage onto the griddle in the medium heat zone and cook until the fat begins to render and the sausage starts to brown, 2–3 minutes.
Use a spatula to chop the sausage into small chunks. Continue cooking until no pink remains.
Push the sausage to the low heat side and add the onion to the grease left behind. If there’s not much sausage grease, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Sprinkle with kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned and softened, about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir the onion and garlic into the sausage on the lower-heat side.
Wipe the hotter side of the griddle clean and raise the temperature to medium-high.
Add the butter and spread it around with a spatula.
Cook the polenta slices until lightly browned on both sides, 4–5 minutes per side.
While the polenta is cooking, pour the tomatoes over the sausage mixture and stir to combine.
Add the peas, Parmesan, and basil. Stir to combine and heat until bubbling.
Remove the sausage mixture from the griddle.
Spoon the sausage mixture over the polenta cakes and top with more basil and Parmesan.
Recipe Tips
If your sausage doesn’t release much fat, don’t skip the oil—you need that fat to help the onions cook and caramelize.
