Ultimate Comfort Food

Above: Pomí imported sauce, shredded mozzarella and pre-made polenta role, and the bubbly magic that happens when you combine them all!

"Comfort food" is a very relative term, but to me, a large bowl of spaghetti marinara and a side of cheesy grits would both be filed away under this category. When Gourmet.com featured this recipe for Polenta Pie with Cheese and Tomato Sauce, I was at first hooked by its claim to be a quick one-dish vegetarian weeknight dinner, and it was only after I dug into the melting mozzarella set atop steaming polenta and fresh tomato sauce that I recognized both of my comfort foods united into this single dish. While winter lingers in these colder spring days, I recommend this dish as a final hearty hurrah before summer brings its neglection of the oven and turn to outdoor cooking.


Polenta Pie with Cheese and Tomato Sauce
Serves4 to 6

* Active time:10 min
* Start to finish:30 min

* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 (16- to 18-oz) ready-made plain polenta roll (plastic-wrapped)
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
* 1 (25- to 26-oz) jar chunky tomato sauce
* 1/4 lb mozzarella, coarsely shredded (1 cup)
* 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Oil a 9-inch pie plate or a 4-cup gratin dish with 1 teaspoon oil.

Cut polenta roll crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and line pie plate with half of slices, overlapping slices slightly to completely cover bottom of pie plate. Stir 1 tablespoon basil into 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce and spread over polenta, then sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Top with remaining half of polenta slices, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and remaining half of mozzarella.

Bake until bubbling and golden, about 20 minutes. While pie bakes, heat remaining pasta sauce, basil, and oil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Let pie stand 5 minutes to firm up and cool, then serve with extra sauce on the side.

From Gourmet.com http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2006/06/polenta-pie

A note on the ingredients: I had to search a little bit for the polenta roll and ultimately found it in the dry pasta section. Also, I picked up a pre-made tomato sauce, and while I prefer homemade, I think Pomí tomato sauces taste very fresh for pre-made, and they're not too much more expensive than the average bottle.