Mexican Polenta Casserole

Mexican Polenta Casserole is an alternative, healthy, one-dish, flavorful recipe. It replaces the boring potatoes or pasta. Polenta is cornmeal that is simmered in water to make a creamy type of porridge.  It can be grilled, sautéed, or used in casseroles and lasagna-type dishes or covered with tomato sauces. You can make your own polenta or you can buy it pre-cooked in tubes at the grocery store.

Vegan Polenta Casserole

This recipe is healthy. If traditional ingredients for the standard American diet are used, it would not be a healthy meal for anyone looking for meals that don't increase cholesterol and fat.

We have chosen a plant-textured ground round as the beef or turkey replacement. Automatically almost no cholesterol and no saturated fat! We then replaced the standard dairy cheese with a delicious soy cheddar cheese, which again, provides all the benefits of a plant-based meal. The salsa pops the flavor. You regulate it to mild or spicy by the salsa you choose.

This will become a family favorite.


Mexican Polenta Casserole Recipe


Ingredients

12 oz. tube of polenta, sliced into 1/2 or 1/4-inch slices (approximately 20 slices)

12 oz. Smart Ground by Light Life® (or other vegetable protein substitute)

3 cups of soy or rice cheddar cheese, grated finely

2 tbsp. garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup of medium or spicy salsa

3 tbsp. canola oil

Variations

-Experiment with degrees of spiciness by using mild, medium, or hot salsa.

-Replace Ground Vegetable with Tempeh (see ingredient glossary)

-Eliminate salsa and use Easy Veggie Red Sauce, and oregano

-Use soy mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil (medium heat) and sauté the garlic for 1 minute.

Add onions and cook until clear.

Add Smart Ground; simmer for 3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of salsa (or more); simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Lay polenta slices into the bottom of casserole dish.

Cover with ground beef mixture. Top with a cup of cheddar cheese.

Make at least 2 layers of the polenta, meat, and cheese. (End with cheese as top layer).

Cover and bake until cheese is bubbling (approx. 12 minutes).

Remove cover after 10 minutes. Serves 5.

Benefits 

-A complex carbohydrate, meaning it is on the low end of the glycemic index

-Rich in good amounts of iron, thiamin, zinc, phosphorus, and magnesium

-Contains some proteins but is not a complete protein.

-aides in digestion and a good source of fiber,  folate, thiamin, phosphorus, vitamin C, and magnesium, according to WebMD.



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 Healthy Recipe Tips

Ingredient Glossary


Pre-made Polenta

Pre-made Polenta

Vegetable Ground

Vegetable Ground with Salsas

Layering the Casserole

Use grated Soy or Rice Cheese

Completed Dish