Italian Polenta Casserole

Description

Cheesy polenta layered with thinly sliced zucchini and marinara sauce makes a delicious side dish to steak, pork chops, or chicken!

Ingredients

  • 1 (14 ounce) can cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ cup fresh basil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon red wine
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup polenta
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ cups finely shredded Italian-style cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.
  2. Combine cherry tomatoes
  3. basil
  4. garlic
  5. red wine
  6. and 1/8 teaspoon salt for marinara in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to puree. Set aside.
  7. Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in polenta slowly
  8. whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Bring back to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook
  9. stirring occasionally
  10. for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Pecorino Romano cheese and butter.
  11. Pour 1/2 of the polenta into the prepared casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the sliced zucchini
  12. overlapping slices slightly. Top zucchini with 1/2 of the marinara sauce
  13. then sprinkle with 1/2 of the Italian-style cheese. Repeat layers one more time.
  14. Bake
  15. covered
  16. in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese on top is slightly brown
  17. about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 55 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Servings: 6

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