Versatile Layered Polenta

Submitted by sofie-a-toast

"This is a wonderful way to get the flavors of a lasagna with a fun twist by using polenta instead of noodles. This recipe is great by itself but can also be used as a base for any number of your favorite lasagna recipes. Just add the lasagna fillings you usually use (vegetables, meat, squash, etc) between the layers."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 1 lasagna

ingredients

• For Polenta

• 2 cups milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 3 cups cornmeal
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• For the Lasagna

• 4 cups soft polenta
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1⁄2 lb buffalo mozzarella, sliced

directions

1. For the Polenta:

2. Boil the milk and water together.
3. Whisk in the cornmeal and salt. Turn down the heat and stir constantly until the polenta is suspended in the water and no longer settles to the bottom of the pot. It's done in about 15 minutes (still stirring often), but is supposedly even better if you cook it for about an hour - I wouldn't know, I'm always too impatient :).
4. Take of the stove and stir in the butter or olive oil and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.

5. For the Lasagna:

6. In a 9x9 baking dish, ladle in 1/3 of the polenta. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over top of the polenta. Arrange half of the mozzarella on top of that and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of parmesan.
7. Ladle over half of the remaining polenta (1/3 of the original amount) and spread the left-over sauce and cheeses on top.
8. Ladle over the last of the polenta and allow the lasagna to sit for about 30 minutes before baking to let the polenta set.
9. Bake in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Reviews

[alvinakatz]

No photo as it came out pretty runny. I found this recipe really easy to make, assuming you start with a lot of prepared products. My mozzarella was already sliced. The parmesan was already grated. Marinara came out of a jar. To reduce the runniness, I was thinking I should have used a pre-made tube of polenta. Then it would have taken under 10 minutes to prep. This recipe is very basic. I do recommend spicing it up with some veggies or a flavorful sauce, or making a more flavorful version of polenta. Nice change from regular lasagna.

 

[Jeri Roth Lande]

This was a lot of work, but it came out great and looked very impressive. Instead of the directions here, I used the procedure in microwave polenta http://www.food.com/recipe/microwave-polenta-3503 to make the initial polenta. Also added some sauteed mushrooms as one of the layers because I love mushrooms.