cheesy polenta bowls with kielbasa and peppers

a meal to celebrate summer fading into fall

I happen to think kielbasa is a truly perfect food, so I’m thrilled to be sharing a recipe where it is the *STAR.* I’ve been trying to find a way to work kielbasa into What To Cook all summer long but nothing felt quite right. Most often, I simply throw it on the grill, serve it alongside sauerkraut and mustard, and chow down … but that didn’t feel quite What To Cook-worthy. (Do serve it like that next time you’re hosting though — it makes for a very low-maintenance, high-impact appetizer!)

After many hours of research, I finally nailed it: a full meal that stars kielbasa and that perfectly straddles summer and fall. The sausage is tossed with peppers (any kind — I used bell peppers), onions, and cherry tomatoes, then broiled until everything becomes crisped up on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. All of that is served atop creamy, cheesy polenta for a truly perfect bite.

This meal is basically a grownup way to consume hotdogs and I am ALL IN.

If you’ve never cooked with/had kielbasa, you’re in for a treat! Kielbasa is the Polish word for sausage — over there, kielbasa comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. But in the U.S., kielbasa, which you may find labeled “Polish sausage” or “Polska kielbasa,” is typically a pork sausage (though sometimes beef and/or veal!) that’s been smoked and seasoned with spices like garlic powder, marjoram, salt, and pepper. It has a thin casing, which yields a firm bite on the outside and a juicy, flavor-bomb inside.

You may find it packaged in a long link like this, or in a few shorter links like this, or as pre-sliced pieces like this. Any of the above work!

If you can’t find kielbasa (though you should be able to — most grocers carry it), you can absolutely use chorizo, Italian sausage, bratwurst, or andouille sausage for this instead.

But I’m too busy to cook!!

I know, I know, we’re all very busy right now. But this is a great make-ahead meal!

The polenta can be cooked up to a day ahead of time, thrown into the fridge right in the pot you cooked it in (covered with its lid), then rewarmed over medium-low heat right before it’s time to eat. Or, make it in your slow cooker like my old boss, Melissa d’Arabian!

The kielbasa and peppers can be completely prepped and ready to go on the sheet pan up to a day in advance too (cover the pan with foil and pop it in the fridge!). You’ll simply throw it under the broiler (uncovered) and, 15 minutes later, dinner will be ready.

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cheesy polenta bowls with kielbasa and peppers

Serves 4