Baked Polenta with Veggie Marinara
This delicious Baked Polenta with Veggie Marinara will warm you up on a cold day!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
For Polenta:
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large orange bell pepper, sliced
- 8 ounces brown mushrooms, sliced
- 1 (23.5-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) bag spinach, roughly chopped
- 4 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
For Assembly:
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
Prepare polenta:
- Spray a 9 x 9-inch pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Bring broth to a boil in a large pot. Slowly whisk cornmeal into broth.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer, then cook (stirring frequently) until polenta begins to pull away from the bottom of the pot when you stir it (about 15 minutes).
- Remove polenta from heat, then stir in cheese, butter, salt, and pepper.
- Pour polenta into the 9 x 9-inch pan, smooth the top, then refrigerate until chilled (about 1 hour).
Prepare sauce:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add peppers to oil and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
- Stir mushrooms into peppers and cook until browned, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in marinara sauce.
- Heat sauce until warmed, then add spinach and basil, and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.
Assemble dish:
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch (or similar size casserole dish) with nonstick spray.
- Turn polenta out of pan onto a cutting board, then cut into 6 pieces.
- Place polenta in pan, overlapping if necessary. Top with sauce and then sprinkle with mozzarella.
- Bake until hot and cheese is browned in spots, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve hot, topped with additional basil. Enjoy!