Best Italian Polenta Casserole 313998 Recipes

BASIC POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

MEATBALL AND POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the polenta: Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, garlic and onions. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock along with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
• Slowly add the cornmeal while whisking constantly to avoid clumping. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream, ricotta and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside off the heat.
• For the meatballs: Add the beef and pork to a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, eggs, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, half the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Using clean hands, mix together until well combined. Use a scoop or your hands to form 20 evenly sized meatballs. Set them aside on a plate or baking sheet.
• Add the tomatoes, olive oil, basil, oregano and remaining garlic to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and give everything a quick stir. Transfer the meatballs to the baking dish and bake until browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer the meatballs and any pan juices to a large bowl.
• For the casserole: Transfer the reserved polenta to the baking dish you just used to bake the meatballs. Place the meatballs on top of the polenta, reserving any liquid or tomatoes in the bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan over the top of the casserole and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• When you are just about ready to serve, pour the pan juices into a saucepan and warm over medium heat.
• Sprinkle the casserole with more grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve with the warmed pan sauce on the side.
• Freezer directions: Once the casserole is assembled, do not bake it. Allow the casserole to cool completely and allow the reserved sauce and tomatoes from cooking the meatballs to do the same in a separate container. This will take 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Wrap the casserole in plastic wrap and then foil. Put the sauce in a separate freezer-safe container. Label, date and freeze both until ready to eat.
• To cook, allow both the casserole and sauce to thaw completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the unwrapped casserole until bubbly and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through.

OLE POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For polenta, in a small bowl, whisk cornmeal, salt and 1 cup water until smooth. In a large saucepan, bring remaining water to a boil. Add cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. , Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Divide mixture between 2 greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1-1/2 hours., In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, herbs and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened., Loosen 1 polenta from sides and bottom of dish; invert onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and set aside. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the remaining polenta. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese. Top with reserved polenta and remaining meat mixture., Cover and bake at 350° until heated through, 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

CHEESY POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 8x8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in green pepper, garlic, and green onions; cook until the pepper softens, about 3 minutes. Pour in marinara sauce and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix together fontina and provolone in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of the polenta slices in the dish, top with 1/3 the fontina and provolone mixture. Spread a thin layer of sauce over cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top casserole with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

ITALIAN POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, cook sausage and ground beef on medium-high 5 to 6 minutes or until browned, stirring and breaking up meat with side of spoon. With slotted spoon, transfer meat mixture to medium bowl.
• To same Dutch oven, add onion; cook on medium 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with their puree; heat to boiling on high, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add eggplant and meat; cover and cook 5 minutes on medium. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In microwave-safe 4-quart bowl, with wire whisk, combine water, broth, cornmeal, and salt. Microwave on High 15 to 20 minutes or until cornmeal mixture is very thick. After first 5 minutes of cooking, whisk vigorously until smooth (mixture will be lumpy at first); whisk 2 more times during remaining cooking time. Remove from microwave, whisk in Romano.
• Spoon 2 cups hot polenta into each of two 1 1/2-quart shallow casseroles. Spread polenta over bottom and up sides of casseroles. Spoon filling over polenta. Spread remaining polenta around casserole edge to form a rim. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons additional grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago.
• Bake one casserole 30 minutes or until hot. Let stand 10 minutes for easier serving. (Freeze the other one for later.).
• Makes 8 servings (in 2 casserole dishes).
• Note: if you want to lower the fat content, use turkey Italian sausage. Make sure to use quality sausage - I've used my favorite, our freshly made Merguez, and good sausage really makes a difference.