eggplant & zucchini polenta lasagna of super fantasticalness!


polenta lasagna final vegan recipes

when i first became vegan i found a glorious recipe from the fat free vegan kitchen for a polenta lasagna recipe that i wanted to make some day.

well, the day has FINALLY arrived - although since dan doesn't care for kale or mushrooms (sorryhehatesyummyveggiesface) i thought we'd put our spin on it using some of the local zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes we purchased this past saturday. using susan's recipe as inspiration i created something we'd both love - and we LOVED IT, indeed (this lasagna is most fantastically gloriously super stellar)! i can't wait to inhale my leftovers tomorrow, too!

don't let the lengthy recipe scare you off - it's really not that tough, and doesn't really take that much time either (i promise). we made the marinara Monday night, and the polenta & roasted veggies Tuesday morning. this meant all we had to do last night was simply assemble & bake. it was that easy & that freak'n awesome! now that's what i'm talk'n about!

ingredients for the polenta:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 cups water
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp margarine (we used earth balance)
1 veggie bouillon cube
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tsp olive oil

ingredients for the marinara: (or just use 3 cups marinara of your choosing)
7 large tomatoes, diced
4 heaping tbsp dried basil (or 20-30 fresh basil leaves, we used a combination of both since i didn't have enough fresh basil)
2 tbsp oregano
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
a pinch of black pepper
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp olive oil

ingredients for the veggies:
1 large eggplant
1 large zucchini (we used a green eight-ball squash)
olive oil cooking spray

ingredients for the topping:
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 slice of whole wheat bread
1/4 cup walnuts

what you'll need:
- large pot
- small skillet/saute pan
- large skillet (we used our cast iron)
- 9x13 baking tray
- cookie sheet
- blender
- bread/loaf pan (is that what those little things are called?)
- food processor (you may be able to the blender again instead)


what'cha gotta do for the polenta:
in the large pot combine 3 cups of water and the veggie bouillon cube - bring this to a boil, stirring to dissolve the cube. once your broth is boiling slowly whisk in the cornmeal. reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the polenta for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

while the polenta is cooking, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium-high in the small skillet. add diced onion and saute until it begins to brown up a good bit (about 5-8 minutes). remove from heat.

once the polenta is cooked stir in the sauteed onion along with the margarine, transfer the polenta the lightly oiled 9x13 baking dish, and use a spatula to flatten the polenta & evenly distribute it. refrigerate for a few hours until firm (we made ours the this morning and let it chill while @ work).

what'cha gotta do for the marinara:
heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high in the large skillet. add in onion and saute until it begins to brown up a bit (about 5 minutes). reduce the heat to medium and add in the garlic - cooking until it becomes fragrant (about a minute or two), then pour in the white wine. let this cook for about 3 minutes, add in tomatoes. cook for another 5 minutes and add in all the spices. once the tomatoes start to really break down take 2/3 of the "almost" sauce (i call it "almost" sauce because it's still rather chunky) and place into a blender. allow the tomatoes to cool off for a minute or two and then blend 'em up for just a few seconds. return the sauce (see, more saucy now!) to the skillet, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. remove from heat & set aside. while you're working on the marinara you can start on the veggies if you want to...

what'cha gotta do for awesome veggies:
lightly grease a cookie sheet with a little olive oil cooking spray. cut the eggplant & zucchini into 1/2" slices - making lots of round slices. place the sliced veggies on the cookie sheet and roast on 350 for 25 minutes, flipping the veggies over half way through the cooking time.

what'cha gotta do for the kick-ass topping:
put the walnuts, nooch, and bread into your food processor. pulse until it's super fine. that's it!

what'cha gotta do (finally!) to make the lasagna:
slice polenta into strips that will be thick enough to fit pretty darn perfectly (i cut ours into 3 strips that were just a little over 4" thick. basically, cut the polenta into 3 thick strips) into the bread/loaf pan (did we decide what these pans are called yet?). lightly grease the pan with a little olive oil cooking spray and start layering: 1 layer polenta slices, 1 layer eggplant, 1 layer zucchini, 1 layer marinara. repeat until everything's used up - but make sure your final top layer = marinara! top the final layer (the marinara top) with the "kick ass-topping" & bake on 350 for 25 minutes. remove from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes, slice up, serve, & inhale, i mean - enjoy!

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