Polenta Lasagna

Polenta Lasagna – a fun twist to our traditional lasagna recipe. We ditched the noodles for slices of polenta! This is seriously delicious! Italian Sausage, Marinara sauce, polenta, cottage cheese, egg, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for later. Serve the casserole with some garlic bread and a salad. Everyone LOVES this easy gluten-free lasagna recipe.

plate of polenta lasagna with text overlay

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Easy Lasagna Casseorle

This Polenta Lasagna is a delicious twist on one of my all-time favorite recipes! I absolutely love lasagna. My love for lasagna rivals Garfield. Just ask Chicken Legs. My plate is practically clean before he even takes a bite of his lasagna. I just love it. I had picked up a roll of polenta at Trader Joe’s and decided to shake up my usual lasagna recipe and use sliced polenta instead of traditional lasagna noodles. This was my first time making lasagna with polenta, but it won’t be my last time. This is DELICIOUS!! I loved that I didn’t have to boil any noodles!! Just assemble the dish and pop it in the oven. We loved this twist on traditional lasagna! You must give this a try ASAP!

baking dish of lasagna

How to Make Polenta Lasagna

This recipe is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook Italian sausage or ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain any fat. Add a jar of spaghetti sauce and give it a good stir to combine. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, and parsley. Set aside. Slice a tube of polenta into 18 slices with a serrated knife.

To assemble the lasagna, pour a little meat sauce in the bottom of a greased 8-inch baking dish. Top the meat sauce with half of the polenta slices. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the polenta. Spread half of the remaining meat sauce on top of the cheese mixture and top with mozzarella cheese. Add a second layer of polenta, top with the remaining cottage cheese mixture, remaining sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until the cheese melts. Let the lasagna sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • I used cottage cheese in the lasagna. If you don’t like cottage cheese, you can swap it out for ricotta cheese. Either way, make sure to drain the cheese a little before using it. You don’t want the lasagna to be too runny.
  • I used a jar of Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara. I like the marinara version, not the spaghetti sauce version. There is a big difference.
  • If you don’t have a Trader Joe around, my other favorite jarred sauces are La Famiglia Del Grosso and Rao’s.
  • Of course, you can always make your own sauce. Here are our favorite homemade red sauce recipes:
  • Slow Cooker bolognese sauce: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-bolognese-sauce/
  • Weeknight Bolognese Sauce with Red Wine: https://www.plainchicken.com/weeknight-bolognese/
  • I like to use hot Italian sausage in the sauce. You can use any flavor of sausage, turkey sauce, or ground beef. You can also omit the meat if you want a vegetarian dish.
  • Can Polenta Lasagna be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake.
  • Can Polenta Lasagna be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and let it cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to bake, thaw and bake as directed.
  • You can double the recipe in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  • Feel free to add baby spinach, onions, or mushrooms to the recipe.
  • Is Polenta Lasagna gluten-free? Yes, all of the ingredients are gluten-free. Make sure to use a gluten-free sausage.

What to Serve With Lasagna

This polenta lasagna recipe has quickly become one of our favorite weeknight meals. I like to garnish the top of the casserole with some extra parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. This is a hearty dish. You don’t need a ton of side dishes. We usually just make some garlic bread and a salad. The lasagna is equally delicious reheated the next day for lunch! YUM!

Looking for more side dish ideas? Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this easy recipe:

Creamy Italian Dressing

Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe – our favorite salad!!! Romaine, tomatoes, thinly sliced seedless cucumbers, sliced banana peppers, croutons, parmesan cheese,…

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Polenta Lasagna

Yield: 6 people
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Polenta Lasagna – a fun twist to our traditional lasagna recipe. We ditched the noodles for slices of polenta! This is seriously delicious! Italian Sausage, Marinara sauce, polenta, cottage cheese, egg, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for later. Serve the casserole with some garlic bread and a salad. Everyone LOVES this easy gluten-free lasagna recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Italian sausage or ground beef
  • 1 (24-oz) jar marinara sauce
  • 1 (16-oz) container cottage cheese, drained
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • 1 (16-oz) tube prepared polenta, cut into 18 slices
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan (fresh or green can)

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a skillet, cook Italian sausage or ground beef until no longer pink. Drain fat. Remove from heat and stir in marinara sauce. Set aside.
  • Combine cottage cheese, egg and parsley. Set aside.
  • Pour ½ cup sauce into bottom of prepared pan. Top sauce with half of polenta slices. Top polenta with half of cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese on top of cottage cheese mixture. Spread half of sauce on top of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.
  • Top casserole with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
  • Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

  • I used cottage cheese in the lasagna. If you don’t like cottage cheese, you can swap it out for ricotta cheese. Either way, make sure to drain the cheese a little before using it. You don’t want the lasagna to be too runny.
  • I used a jar of Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara. I like the marinara version, not the spaghetti sauce version. There is a big difference.
spaghetti sauce
  • If you don’t have a Trader Joe around, my other favorite jarred sauces are La Famiglia Del Grosso and Rao’s.
  • Of course, you can always make your own sauce. Here are our favorite homemade red sauce recipes:
  • Slow Cooker bolognese sauce: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-bolognese-sauce/
  • Weeknight Bolognese Sauce with Red Wine: https://www.plainchicken.com/weeknight-bolognese/
  • I like to use hot Italian sausage in the sauce. You can use any flavor of sausage, turkey sauce, or ground beef. You can also omit the meat if you want a vegetarian dish.
  • Can Polenta Lasagna be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake.
  • Can Polenta Lasagna be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and let it cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to bake, thaw and bake as directed.
  • You can double the recipe in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  • Feel free to add baby spinach, onions, or mushrooms to the recipe.
  • Is Polenta Lasagna gluten-free? Yes, all of the ingredients are gluten-free.

Steph

Remember this recipe.

Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!

Pin This Recipe
plate of polenta lasagna with text overlay
plate of polenta lasagna with text overlay

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