Home >Recipes >Polenta Lasagna

Serves: 9

• For the spinach:
• 2 10-oz bags of spinach, washed, any large stems removed
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• gray salt and freshly ground pepper

• For the polenta:
• 10 cups water
• 1 tbsp gray salt
• 2 tsp roasted garlic oil, or extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups fine grind polenta
• 1 1/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese

• For the ricotta mixture:
• 3 tbsp fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• To assemble:
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• polenta
• 1 lb Italian sausage links, cooked and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1/2 cup roasted, peeled and seeded yellow pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1/2 cup roasted, peeled and seeded red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• spinach
• ricotta mixture

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

For the spinach

Add half the spinach to a large pot of boiling salted water. As soon as it wilts, remove to a bowl of ice water. Repeat with remaining spinach. Remove from water, squeeze out excess water and chop. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add the spinach and sauté for 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

For the ricotta mixture

In a small bowl combine the ricotta, egg yolk and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the polenta

In a large saucepan, bring the water, salt and oil to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta and cook over low heat for about 20–30 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble

Set aside 2 tbsp of the marinara sauce for the top of the lasagna. In a 9-by-13-inch pan, layer: 3 cups of polenta, 1/2 the sausage slices, 1/2 the peppers, 1/2 the marinara sauce, 1/2 the parmesan cheese, 1/2 the mozzarella slices and 1/2 the spinach.

Repeat. Top with the remaining polenta (it may not cover the top completely). Distribute the ricotta mixture over the top in small dollops. Drizzle the reserved marinara sauce on top. At this point the finished lasagna can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to a day.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place the pan on a cookie sheet (in case it bubbles over). Bake about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is bubbling and hot throughout. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for several minutes before serving.