Braised collards with tomato and chicken sausage over polenta

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 2 hours

Makes: 8 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

10 ounces sweet Italian-style poultry sausage, casing removed

1 medium sweet onion, sliced into half-moons

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, preferably no-salt-added, with juices, coarsely chopped

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1⁄ teaspoon crushed red

2 pepper flakes

1 bag (16 ounces) chopped collard greens

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1⁄2 cups polenta

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage; cook, stirring and breaking it up, until well browned, 4 minutes.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, broth, Parm rind and red pepper flakes. Over high heat, bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

4. Add the sausage and the collard greens. Increase the heat once more to high just long enough to return the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper, as needed. Remove from the heat; cover to keep warm until the polenta is ready, or refrigerate for up to four days.

5. Cook the polenta according to the package directions, to a soft and porridgelike consistency.

6. Divide the polenta among serving bowls, top with the braised collards mixture and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving: 290 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 35 g carbohydrates, 5 g sugar, 14 g protein, 490 mg sodium, 5 g fiber