Meatball And Polenta Casserole Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• In 3-quart saucepan, heat milk, broth and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to boiling over medium heat. Gradually stir in polenta with whisk. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Spread polenta in baking dish.
• In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Remove beef; set aside. Add onion and mushrooms to skillet; cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until wilted. Stir in beef, pasta sauce and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Spoon mixture over polenta.
• Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil.

Steps:

• Grease pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches. Mix cornmeal and cold water in 1-quart saucepan. Stir in boiling water and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese until smooth. Spread on bottom and up side of pie plate. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours until completely firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Cover cornmeal mixture in pie plate with aluminum foil; bake 30 minutes. Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown; drain. Stir in spinach, pasta sauce and marjoram.
• Spoon beef mixture into polenta shell. Cover and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.
• Combine cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, red wine, and 1/8 teaspoon salt for marinara in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to puree. Set aside.
• Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in polenta slowly, whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Bring back to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Pecorino Romano cheese and butter.
• Pour half of the polenta into the prepared casserole dish. Top with half of the sliced zucchini, overlapping slices slightly. Top zucchini with half of the marinara sauce, then sprinkle with half of the Italian-style cheese. Repeat layers one more time. Cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese on top is slightly brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a baking sheet and a 1-quart 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.
• Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, egg substitute, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl. Crumble turkey on top and mix well. Shape mixture into 1/2-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, 9 to 11 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
• Drain penne. Combine baked meatballs with spaghetti sauce in a bowl. Spoon 1/2 the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1/2 of the cooked penne, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese, plus 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with a glass lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.

Steps:

• In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, cook sausage and ground beef on medium-high 5 to 6 minutes or until browned, stirring and breaking up meat with side of spoon. With slotted spoon, transfer meat mixture to medium bowl.
• To same Dutch oven, add onion; cook on medium 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with their puree; heat to boiling on high, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add eggplant and meat; cover and cook 5 minutes on medium. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In microwave-safe 4-quart bowl, with wire whisk, combine water, broth, cornmeal, and salt. Microwave on High 15 to 20 minutes or until cornmeal mixture is very thick. After first 5 minutes of cooking, whisk vigorously until smooth (mixture will be lumpy at first); whisk 2 more times during remaining cooking time. Remove from microwave, whisk in Romano.
• Spoon 2 cups hot polenta into each of two 1 1/2-quart shallow casseroles. Spread polenta over bottom and up sides of casseroles. Spoon filling over polenta. Spread remaining polenta around casserole edge to form a rim. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons additional grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago.
• Bake one casserole 30 minutes or until hot. Let stand 10 minutes for easier serving. (Freeze the other one for later.).
• Makes 8 servings (in 2 casserole dishes).
• Note: if you want to lower the fat content, use turkey Italian sausage. Make sure to use quality sausage - I've used my favorite, our freshly made Merguez, and good sausage really makes a difference.