Ole Polenta Casserole Recipes

OLE POLENTA CASSEROLE

Ole Polenta Casserole image

With plenty of ground beef and cheese, this layered bake goes over big on the dinner table. Adjust the amount of hot pepper sauce to suit your taste.-Angela Biggin, Lyons, Illinois

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories Dinner

Time 1h45m

Yield 6 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water, divided
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and dill weed
Dash hot pepper sauce
1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 345 calories, Fat 14g fat (7g saturated fat), Cholesterol 62mg cholesterol, Sodium 874mg sodium, Carbohydrate 29g carbohydrate (6g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 25g protein.