POLENTA & VEGETABLE BAKE

Polenta & Vegetable Bake image

Provided by Manami

Time 45m

Yield 8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 small zucchini, finely diced
1/2 cup button mushroom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup water
10 ounces Baby Spinach
1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce, preferably lower-sodium (we used Paul Newman's Marinara Sauce)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
14 ounces prepared polenta, sliced lengthwise into 6 thin slices (we used Trader Joe's Organic prepared polenta0)
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Steps:

Preheat oven to 450ºF & coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add water and spinach; cover and cook until wilted, stirring once, about 3 minutes.
Stir marinara sauce into the vegetables and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in basil.
Place polenta slices in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, trimming to fit if necessary.
Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese, top with the eggplant mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
Bake until bubbling and the cheese has just melted, 12 to 15 minutes.
Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.