Gluten-Free Vegetable Polenta Lasagna: A vegetable Lasagna using layers of polenta as an alternative to noodles.
This recipe is a bit of a twist on what is traditionally considered lasagna - pasta type lasagnas. Instead of using rice lasagna noodles or the like, we substitute thin slices of polenta (corn polenta) for the noodles while keeping the remaining lasagna ingredients much the same.
Layers of cheese, polenta, tomato/pasta-sauce, and vegetables come together in a baked lasagna that is simple and easy to prepare, and the number of servings can easily be scaled up as needed by choosing a larger pan and just more of the same ingredients. The end result is quite delicious and will remind you of traditional lasagna while also offering a unique variation on the common pasta dish.
Text Version of Gluten-Free Recipe
Ingredients
The ingredients are somewhat free-form and you can vary them as you see fit in order to meet your tastes. For example, you can certainly use different vegetables if you do not have zucchini available or prefer eggplant instead, etc. This dish is all about simplicity and quick variations, so experiment with the concept and have some fun creating your own gluten-free polenta lasagna. And, though you can certainly make you own polenta from scratch for use in this recipe, we purchased a gluten-free polenta "roll" (a plastic-enclosed cylinder / tube / roll shape package about 8" long and 3" round).
Zucchini
Garlic
Artichoke (we used jarred ones)
Polenta (we used a garlic-basil flavor variety)
ricotta cheese
pasta sauce (choose favorite GF sauce)
3-cheese blend (cheddar, mozzarella, etc)
bit of Parmesan cheese on top too
Directions
Begin by frying up the garlic and zucchini and any other vegetables you prefer in your lasagna.
In a small casserole dish, coat the bottom with some pasta sauce and then add a layer of polenta (sliced to ¼-inch thick or so), ricotta cheese, the 3 cheese mix, artichoke, and the zucchini and garlic.
Next, add another layer of polenta topped with sauce and the 3 cheese mix. Layer as needed until you achieve lasagna thickness desired for depth of your pan. Be sure to top with a layer of cheeses.
Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes. Optionally (as pictured): broil the lasagna for about 5 minutes to slightly brown the top and make the cheese bubble just a bit.
The end result should look something like this:
