I got this one off Dr. Oz's great site, RealAge.com, and I've made it a couple of times. It's very hearty for a vegetarian recipe -- and it also freezes well.
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 small zucchini, finely diced
0.5 teaspoon(s) salt
0.5 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
0.5 cup(s) water
10 ounce(s) baby spinach
1.5 cup(s) prepared marinara sauce
0.5 cup(s) chopped fresh basil
14 ounce(s) prepared polenta, sliced lengthwise into 6 thin slices
1.5 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add water and spinach; cover and cook until wilted, stirring once, about 3 minutes. Stir marinara sauce into the vegetables and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in basil.
Place polenta slices in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, trimming to fit if necessary. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese, top with the eggplant mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until bubbling and the cheese has just melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
Nancy's tips:
--Polenta is so easy to make, I disregard the directions about the prepared stuff. Most grocery stores have the coarsely ground cornmeal used for polenta. I make a couple cups of it for this recipe (and it's even yummier if you throw some Parmesan cheese in toward the end of cooking).
--This calls for a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, but I prefer using a small, round casserole dish (think Corningware).
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Me, I'd make the marinara sauce from scratch and use boughten polenta :-). I find pre-made sauces have a metallic undertang or something, possibly as a result of using garlic powder (rancid oil). At any rate, my basic Italian tomato sauce consists of sauteing a chopped up onion in a drizzle (1-2 tsp) olive oil, adding some minced fresh garlic when the onion is translucent, giving it about 30 seconds and then dumping in a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes in puree. I then add about 2 tsp. each of oregano and basil, and 1/2 tsp. thyme and simmer for a few minutes. Variations are endless depending on what I'm making and what's in the pantry. I use it on everything from pizza to spaghetti to lasagna to eggplant parm to..... you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this looks good and so easy. I really like polenta, and find vegetarian meals a great way to keep the calories down and the tummy full and happy.