 Polenta Lasagna
Recipe from Moulton's new cookbook:
Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners
Classic lasagne is not the kind of dish you can just throw together on a weeknight, but you can pull it off if you start with flavorful shortcut ingredients, including precooked polenta and Italian sausage. You begin by slicing and sauteing the polenta, which gives it a little crunch and some toastiness -- a nice change from the usual pasta noodles. The finished product tastes like the slow-cooking comfort food you expect to see only on a weekend or a special occasion.
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage
2 garlic cloves
14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
16-18 ounce log cooked plain polenta
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
1. Place an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 inch square pan.
2. Finely chop the onion (about 1 cup). Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces using a serrated knife; add the sausage to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until it has softened. Press the garlic (about 2 teaspoons) into the pan and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes with their juice and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until most of the juice has evaporated and the mixture is saucy; season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Heat another 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium and add half the polenta slices in one layer. Saute the polenta for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to brown; turn the polenta and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until the second side begins to brown. Remove the polenta slices and arrange them to cover the bottom of the oiled baking pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining polenta (remove the slices to a plate if the sauce has not finished cooking).
4. Microplane-grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 1/3 cups) or grate on the fine side of a box grater (about 2/3 cup). When the sauce has finished cooking, spoon half over the polenta in the pan. Top it with half the mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat layering the remaining polenta, sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
5. Bake the lasagne for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. Cut into 4 servings and transfer to dinner plates.
Yields 4 servings
Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Total preparation time: 60 minutes
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