Meatball And Polenta Casserole Recipes

OLE POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For polenta, in a small bowl, whisk cornmeal, salt and 1 cup water until smooth. In a large saucepan, bring remaining water to a boil. Add cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. , Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Divide mixture between 2 greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1-1/2 hours., In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, herbs and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened., Loosen 1 polenta from sides and bottom of dish; invert onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and set aside. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the remaining polenta. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese. Top with reserved polenta and remaining meat mixture., Cover and bake at 350° until heated through, 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

THE ULTIMATE MEATBALLS AL FORNO WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Break the baguette in pieces and soak in a bowl with milk for 10 minutes until the bread is soft. In a second bowl mix the beef and pork together. Twist up half the parsley and the basil into a little pile, roughly chop it and add to the meat. Add garlic and mix thoroughly with your hands. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add it in small pieces. Add eggs, Parmesan, ground pinenuts, salt, and pepper and mix everything together thoroughly. Shape the meatballs into large patties then roll them in the bread crumbs.
• In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it begins to smoke slightly. Fry the meatballs to seal the crust, flip them over so both sides are done. Transfer to a large baking dish.
• Add a splash of oil to pan and fry the mushrooms on a low heat until they start to caramelize. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 and hand-crush them into a separate bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper and mix. Add to the mushrooms. Let everything simmer together and reduce slightly for about 10 minutes. Pour the tomatoes and mushrooms over the meatballs. Shred the remaining basil and parsley and the mozzarella over it. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few cranks of pepper. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes.
• Serve with Creamy Polenta.
• In a large saucepan bring the chicken stock to a slow simmer. Quickly whisk the cornmeal into the stock and lower the temperature to keep it from splattering. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, butter, and salt. Turn off the heat and keep in a warm place until the meatballs are ready.
• Yield: 6 servings
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes

MEATBALLS BAKED IN TOMATO SAUCE ON POLENTA

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
• For the meatballs, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
• Combine all the sauce ingredients and pour into a deep roasting dish/casserole dish.
• Form medium sized meatballs and place into the roasting dish.
• Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly and the meatballs are cooked.
• To make the polenta, bring the stock and milk to a simmer and whisk in the polenta. Continue whisking until the polenta has started thickening then turn down the heat and allow the polenta to gently cook for 10-15 minutes.
• Add the butter, cream and season with salt.
• Serve the polenta with the meatballs and sauce topped with grated Pecorino and parsley.

MEATBALL AND POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the polenta: Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, garlic and onions. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock along with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
• Slowly add the cornmeal while whisking constantly to avoid clumping. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream, ricotta and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside off the heat.
• For the meatballs: Add the beef and pork to a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, eggs, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, half the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Using clean hands, mix together until well combined. Use a scoop or your hands to form 20 evenly sized meatballs. Set them aside on a plate or baking sheet.
• Add the tomatoes, olive oil, basil, oregano and remaining garlic to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and give everything a quick stir. Transfer the meatballs to the baking dish and bake until browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer the meatballs and any pan juices to a large bowl.
• For the casserole: Transfer the reserved polenta to the baking dish you just used to bake the meatballs. Place the meatballs on top of the polenta, reserving any liquid or tomatoes in the bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan over the top of the casserole and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• When you are just about ready to serve, pour the pan juices into a saucepan and warm over medium heat.
• Sprinkle the casserole with more grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve with the warmed pan sauce on the side.
• Freezer directions: Once the casserole is assembled, do not bake it. Allow the casserole to cool completely and allow the reserved sauce and tomatoes from cooking the meatballs to do the same in a separate container. This will take 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Wrap the casserole in plastic wrap and then foil. Put the sauce in a separate freezer-safe container. Label, date and freeze both until ready to eat.
• To cook, allow both the casserole and sauce to thaw completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the unwrapped casserole until bubbly and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through.

MEATBALL AND POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cut the polenta into 12 slices, making each sliice about 1/2-inch thick. Line bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish with polenta slices.
• Place the frozen meatballs on the polenta.
• In a bowl, combine soup, water, mushrooms, seasoning, garlic powder and pepper. Pour over the meatballs.
• Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheesel Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED POLENTA-BEEF CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir together water, cornmeal, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until combined. Cook, uncovered, stirring every minute until water begins to boil and mixture is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in American cheese and set aside.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Add cooked beef, corn, tomatoes and their juices, and oregano. Cook, uncovered, stirring every minute until mixture is bubbly and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour into a casserole dish. Spoon polenta-cheese mixture on top.
• Cook in the preheated oven until polenta is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN BEEF AND POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut diagonally crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside. Cut polenta crosswise into 8 slices; coat both sides of each slice with cooking spray.
• Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add polenta slices; cook 6 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Arrange polenta slices in baking dish.
• In same skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked. Drain, if necessary. Set beef aside. Add zucchini to skillet; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add beef, pasta sauce and pepper; cook 1 to 2 minutes until thoroughly heated. Spoon beef mixture over polenta; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake uncovered 18 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

MEATBALL CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and fennel seeds; cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in pasta sauce, 1/4 cup basil, and tomato paste; simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix remaining 1/2 cup basil, ricotta, roasted peppers, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of the prepared dish. Cover with 1/2 of the penne, 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce, all of the ricotta mixture, remaining penne, all the meatballs, and remaining sauce. Cover baking dish with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover casserole and cover with mozzarella cheese. Continue baking until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.