[2] You can get a jar of pesto at any supermarket (photo © DeLallo).

We love lasagna, and try most recipes we come across to see if they’re better than Mom’s.

Here’s a vegetarian version with polenta and pesto (you of course can add sausage or other meat). Gluten-free polenta replaces the traditional wheat noodle lasagna.

The recipe was created by Loretta Lamont for Sauces ’n Love, one of our favorite lines of Italian sauces, Loretta used Sauces ‘n Love marinara and pesto sauces.

We made our own variation, sprinkling oregano over the ricotta layer and adding crumbled sausage over the second pesto layer.

Prep time is 30 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: POLENTA & PESTO LASAGNA

Ingredients For 2 Servings

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Spray a 11” × 7” baking dish with Pam.

2. MIX the ricotta with the egg, garlic powder, pepper and 1/2 cup mozzarella.

3. PLACE a little sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, topped with a single layer of polenta. Spread a layer of pesto on top of the polenta.

4. SPREAD the ricotta over the pesto; sprinkle on the optional oregano or the sausage. Arrange the sliced mozzarella on top of the pesto. Add a layer of sauce on top of the mozzarella followed by another layer of polenta.

5. TOP with the shredded Italian cheese and sauce Bake for 40 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and pine nuts and broil until the cheese and nuts are browned. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

 
WHAT IS POLENTA?

Polenta is the Italian word for cornmeal as well as a cooked dish made from it. In the first two centuries of America, our diets contained much cornmeal—in bread, breakfast cereal (cornmeal mush is cooked polenta) and other recipes.

In the 19th century, cornmeal was largely replaced by refined wheat flour. Polenta is also refined: It is degerminated cornmeal, with the germ and endosperm removed.

Here’s a delicious polenta stack appetizer recipe, and more ways to use polenta.