Calabrese Polenta Lasagna
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caCalabrese Polenta Lasagna, because I don't know what else to call it, is another dish my mom made. Basic cornmeal made just the way you would make lasagna, but fool of goodness!My mom always new how to re-invent the simplest ingredients to make them look extravagant. Try any one of my mom's other recipes like My Mommas' Lasagna, or my Sicilian Baked Lolli, Pasta with Anchovies, or my Spaghetti and Meatballs.
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 lbs ground beef or veal
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 25 oz tomato puree
- 3 leaves fresh basil
- 3½ cups water
- 12 oz instant polenta
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs boiled and chopped
- 10 oz pork sausage 2 sausage links
- 1½ cups mozzarella shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a large skillet and sauté garlic and onion until fragrant and onions are translucent. Add beef and brown. Season meat with salt.
- Add the tomato paste to the meat. Mix well while sauteing to ensure that the tomato paste and beef well incorporated into the ground meat. Add fresh basil (optional). Alternatively, you can add dried basil once sauce is cooked.
- Add tomato puree and mix. Add whole sausage links. Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
- While sauce is cooking, boil water in a large pot. Once water boils add polenta stirring constantly until it thickens and doesn't look dry anymore. About 3 to 3 minutes. Add a little more water if parts of your polenta are still dry.
- Turn out your polenta onto a wooden cutting board and shape into a rectangle. Let cool completely. Once cool cut narrow strips about ½" thick. These will be your layers.
- Once your sauce is cooked, remove sausage and let cool. Cut the sausage into narrow slices. Set aside.
- Prepare a baking dish by scooping a little bit of sauce on the bottom. Add about ½ cup water.
- Start layering the polenta slices to cover the bottom of the dish, cutting slices where needed so that the bottom of the baking dish is not visible.
- Arrange the egg, cheeses and sausage on top of the first layer. Spoon sauce on top spreading it as much as possible. Repeat. For the second layer of polenta arrange them in the opposite direction making a criss cross pattern. Arrange toppings and continue layering polenta and toppings until you have reached the top of your baking dish.
- Bake at 350℉ for about 40 minutes or until the mozzarella has melted and the bottom of the dish is bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes as it will be hot.
Notes
Top Tips
The polenta lasagna will be hot. Let it stand with foil tented to let the steam out. Save prep time by preparing your sauce ahead of time. Save prep time by using instant polenta to reduce the prep time.Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 742kcalCarbohydrates: 108gProtein: 35gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 247mgPotassium: 1571mgFiber: 9gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 3539IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 6mg
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