Polenta Napoleon with Pesto

Yield: serves 6

Inspired by a recipe from Food Network, this dish uses polenta as a base for a lasagna-type dish. It’s gluten-free comfort food. Enjoy!

Ingredients for polenta:

• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 cups cornmeal

Remaining ingredients:

• ½ cup pesto
• 2 zucchini squash, sliced lengthwise into ¼” slices
• 1 cup tomato sauce or marinara
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese

Procedure:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch spingform pan with pan release.
2. For the zucchini, heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and sauté zucchini slices until lightly golden on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside on a paper towel.
3. For the polenta, in a large saucepan, combine the milk, water, olive oil, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and slowly pour in the cornmeal, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
4. While polenta is warm, start layering the napoleon. Spread some tomato sauce (about 1/3 cup) in the bottom of the pan. Spoon half the polenta into the pan and press it into an even layer (it will still be hot so use a spatula for this).  Spread a layer of pesto (about ¼ cup) to cover polenta. Spread half of the zucchini over the pesto. Top with about 1/3 cup tomato sauce. Top with half of the parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella. Repeat layers – polenta, pesto, zucchini, tomato sauce, and two cheeses.
5. Bake on a baking sheet for about 20-30 minutes, until browned and bubbly on top. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to cool. Remove from pan, cut into wedges and serve.

Inspired by foodnetwork.com