Polenta

Tonight we're trying a new food thanks to Christie. She had polenta lasagna in CA and said it was yummy... so tonight I made an attempt and the lasagna is in the oven. Polenta is "corn meal mush" that you can use as a substitute for bread, in stews, baked, or in other dishes. It's very versatile apparently. My favorite part is that we found the polenta in a tight tube like sausage, sitting in the "rice" aisle. It seems like it shoudl be cold, but no, it's just on the shelf. I modified the recipe below and put what I had in the kitchen into the pan.

POLENTA LASAGNA

YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup meatless fat-free sausage, crumbled (such as Lightlife Gimme Lean)
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (16-ounce) tube of polenta, cut into 18 slices
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce into an 8-inch square baking dish to cover bottom, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in sausage; cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Add remaining marinara sauce; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Arrange 9 polenta slices over marinara in baking dish, and top evenly with half of vegetable mixture. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over vegetable mixture; arrange remaining polenta over cheese. Top polenta with the remaining vegetable mixture, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories:

221 (20% from fat)

Fat:

4.9g (sat 1.4g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.1g)

Protein:

12.3g

Carbohydrate:

30.9g