Polenta Madness

When I made the fried polenta a few weeks ago, we only used less than half the tube of pre-made polenta. The question then became: what to do with the rest of it? The husband got online and found an interesting casserole that seemed to fit the bill.

Polenta and Black Bean Casserole
What you need:
1/4 c salsa verde
3 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp cumin
a polenta roll, cut into 18 rounds
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can hominy, drained
3 cups of your favorite mexican-inspired cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray some oil on an 11-inch in diameter casserole dish. Mix the salsa verde, garlic, and cumin together in a bowl.
2. Arrange half of the polenta rounds evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish. Then add half the beans, hominy, and salsa mix over top of that. Sprinkle with half the cheese.
3. Layer the remaining polenta rounds evenly over that, followed by the remaining beans, hominy, salsa, and cheese. Cover the dish with its lid and bake it for about 20 minutes.
4. Next, overcover the casserole dish and bump up the overn temperature to 475. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
5. Serve and gorge yourselves on your clever mexican-inspired lasagna.

You can also top it with spinach according to the original recipe, and next time, I would definitely top it with kale, just for more color and nutrients. However, this one was quite tasty as is. The salsa versa is tangy and pairs well with the solid but plain polenta and the sweet base flavor of the beans. Delicious.