vegetable polenta lasagna

finished product, that's my portion on the right

all the veggies and beans cooking

serves 6

I used to make a polenta dish that had italian sausage, lots of onions and red bell pepper, it was so hearty and delicious!  My hubby requested that I make a veggie version of it, because had a craving.  So I kept the same idea but added a ton of extra veggies and even some beans and the verdict is.... we LOVED it even more than the original.  We put cheese on 1/2 of ours and left some without, for ME!!!


2 tubes of polenta (I got mine at Trader Joes), cut into 1/4'' slices
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 small yellow onions, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup or so of sliced crimini mushrooms
a couple handfuls of spinach
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 can of kidney beans
10 or so leaves of basil, roughly chopped
dash of red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 jar of marinara sauce (or a little less)
6-10 slices of mozzarella cheese (optional)
s/p


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet or in a dutch oven.  Add in the sliced onions and saute for 2 minutes.  Then add in the bell pepper and saute for another 2 minutes or so.  Next, add in the garlic and mushrooms.  Cook until the veggies are tender.  Finally, add in the spinach, beans, basil, s/p and red chili flakes.  Cook and stir to combine.

Pour a little marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  Place polenta discs in the bottom of the dish, covering it, but not overlapping.  Spoon 1/2 of veggie mixture over the polenta and then cover with 1/2 the marinara sauce. Repeat with another layer of polenta, veggies and sauce (note: using the whole jar of sauce makes it pretty saucy, if you prefer a less saucy lasagna, just use less than the whole jar).  If you are using cheese, layer your slices on top.

Cook uncovered for about 25-30 minutes.  If you put cheese on top, you may want to broil it for a minute or so, to get the cheese nice and brown and bubbly.