Last night I wanted to make something using the rest of the pre-made polenta log that I had. I had a little more than half left and I also wanted to make something I could take as leftovers to work for the next couple of days.
I decided to dive in sans recipe and make a polenta bake. I started by slicing the log into thin rounds and layering them in a baking dish. The dish I used was smallish and I (unattractively) filled in the gaps of the rounds with small pieces of polenta. This would probably work better with polenta made fresh on the stovetop and then poured into a pan (but for the sake of convenience and cleaning out my fridge, I’ll take a messy casserole!). I put the polenta in the oven at 425 for about 15 minutes.
I always have onions, garlic and spinach on hand and I can count on the pantry to have a few cans of different beans and diced tomatoes. I sautéed the onions until they started turning slightly brown. I then added some chopped garlic and cannellini beans (always rinse your canned beans to reduce sodium). After the beans were heated through and softening, I added the can of diced tomatoes, pouring out most of the juice from the can first.
I let this simmer for about 7 minutes before stirring in the spinach. I added 1 cup at a time, and when that would just start to wilt I added another handful. In all, I used about 3 cups of spinach.
Once the spinach was wilted, I removed the polenta from the oven and poured the veggie & bean mixture on top. I added the some crumbled feta and returned this to the oven for about 15-20 minutes- or until the cheesy gets a little gooey.
I’m happy to report that this mish mash was a success. Quick and easy, with tons of leftovers to pack for lunch. I love polenta for its versatility and next time I think I might make more of a Mexican casserole.
Polenta Bake
½-1 tube of polenta (adjust the thickness of polenta to your tastes)
4 cups spinach
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 can of cannellini beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1tsp basil
2-3 oz of shredded or crumbled cheese of your choice (I used feta)
Miss Healthy Pants 