Polenta Mozzarella Melt with Roasted Red Peppers
Scramble fan Leesa Hill suggested this soothing casserole. Our kids like the soft texture of polenta, and I like its easy preparation. You can make your own polenta from scratch, if you prefer, but I find the prepared variety is great in terms of nutrition, taste, texture and speed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups red pasta sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 7 oz. sliced black olives drained
- 7 oz. roasted red peppers (sold in a jar or homemade), drained and chopped
- 18 - 24 oz. plain prepared polenta (sold in tubes with grains)
- 2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese or fresh chopped mozzarella cheese chopped, if using fresh mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the pasta sauce, vinegar, olives and peppers. Simmer it for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- While the sauce cooks, cut the polenta into 1/2-inch cubes, and lay them in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Pour the sauce over the polenta, top it with the cheese and bake it, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Cut the polenta into squares, and using a slotted spoon, serve it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Chop the roasted peppers, make and refrigerate the sauce, cut the polenta into cubes, shred the mozzarella cheese if necessary and refrigerate, or fully prepare and refrigerate the dish.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Use fresh mozzarella cheese and serve the dish with crushed red pepper flakes.
Tip: To quickly cut a tube of polenta into cubes, cut it the long way first into 1/2-inch wide strips, and then stack those strips and cut them into cubes.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 255, Total Fat: 10g, 15%; Saturated Fat: 6g, 29%; Cholesterol: 25mg, 9%; Sodium: 328mg, 14%; Total Carbohydrate: 33g, 11%; Dietary Fiber: 4g, 15%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 11g
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