Cheesy Polenta Casserole

"I will definitely make this again but I made several changes, which is why it's getting 4 stars: I substituted about 1 c. frozen [mixed] bell pepper for the green bell pepper, ~1/4 c. white onion for ..." See morethe green onion, and plain tomato sauce (about 22 oz. or so) for the marinara sauce [after each layer of tomato sauce, I sprinkled on some Italian seasoning]. I upped the garlic to at least a Tablespoon. Because I was serving this as a main dish, I sauteed eight 1/4" slices of eggplant in olive oil to create two additional layers. I mixed all 3 of the cheeses together (1/2 c. fontina and just over 1 c. mozzarella). The Parmesan naturally fell to the bottom of the bowl and mostly ended up on the top of the casserole anyway. The eggplant was the perfect addition to this dish and really soaked up the tomato sauce nicely. Next time, my top layers will go tomato sauce, polenta, and then the cheese - this way the polenta on the top will brown slightly and add a nice crunch. Although this was absolutely delicious, I would not make it for "fancy" company as it is a bit sloppy to serve. This might be because I used 1.5 times the sauce suggested or the fact that we were starving and didn't let it cool. If using an 8x8, I suggest cutting your polenta into 18 slices - 9 slices for each of 2 layers, and 8 slices of eggplant, 4 slices per layer. A hit with the adults and my 10 month old son."

"This was a great dish! I added a couple of chopped portobello mushrooms after cooking the peppers and onions a bit. I also didn't have any nice cheese on hand, so I used grated cheddar and mozzarell..." See morea for the cheese. Still, it was extremely tasty! Even the kids (6 and 8) asked for seconds!"

" I make my own polenta (it's easier and a LOT cheaper!) and my own basil marinara sauce. It is delicious...." See more"