Polenta Pasticciata con Ragu di Carne, a dish from the Campania region of southern Italy. This is a polenta casserole with a typical Italian ragu di carne. Polenta is made of coarse yellow cornmeal slowly cooked in water or stock until the desired consistency is met. While polenta is more often served soft and creamy, the polenta in this dish is cooked for 30-40 minutes and left to firm up until it is firm and can be sliced. .
Polenta isn’t very commonly known or eaten in the U.S.. It’s still mostly eaten in Italy. Polenta has been around since Roman times and was originally a peasant food. Before corn was introduced to Europe from the New World in the 16th century, polenta was made with other starchy ingredients such as millet, spelt, farro, chickpeas and chestnut flour. And though traditionally a poor man’s food, polenta is considered fine dining in the U.S. and is commonly served in more upscale restaurants.
This Polenta “Lasagna” is Italian comfort food at its finest. Beautiful in presentation and delicious to the taste.
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- For the Polenta:
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon salt
- For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cans (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, with their juices
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced, or 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- To make the polenta: In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Slowly add the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then add the salt. When the polenta begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, whisking steadily, until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the pot, 15-20 minutes.
- Oil two 8-inch square baking pans and pour the polenta into them, dividing equally. Use a rubber spatula moistened with water to spread the mixture and flatten it evenly. Once it has cooled, place it in the refrigerator until firm, at least one hour. The polenta can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge covered with plastic wrap.
- In the meantime, to make the sauce, melt the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the ground beef and stir to break up any lumps. Cook for 10 minutes until the beef is browned and no pink is remaining.
- Add the wine and bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herbs, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a large rectangle baking dish.
- Cut the polenta into eight 4-inch squares and place half of the squares in the bottom of the rectangle baking dish. Spoon half of the sauce evenly over the polenta squares and top with half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan-Reggiano. Arrange the remaining 4 polenta squares on top and cover with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan-Reggiano cheeses.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Inspired by Michele Scicolone, Williams Sonoma
Linny F Delisio-long says
Brought to mind a story an italian gentleman told me years ago. He grew up in an Italian household during the depression. His mother made polenta often. As there was little meat, the meat was placed in the middle of the large serving platter of polenta. The rule was, you couldn’t touch the meat until you ate your way to it. Assured everyone was full when they got to the meat.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s a great story, Linny, thanks for sharing!
Colleen says
I would give this 4 stars. I don’t eat red meat so I subbed the ground beef for ground lean chicken and it was good. The polenta was way too thick and, stacked, barely fit in my casserole dish (in the larger dish, there was way too much empty space). I would probably use about half the polenta next time to make thinner layers. Also, cooking time said 40 minutes uncovered. After about 10 minutes, the top layer of cheese started burning, so I covered it with foil or it would have been completely scorched by the end of the cook time. Overall, nice flavor and would make again.
Barbara says
This came out so delicious that I am planning a dinner party to serve it to friends! Very yummy. thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Barbara, thank you!
Georgina says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I used ground turkey instead of beef, and added a layer of wilted spinach in the middle. Next time I would make a double batch of the sauce! The extra space in the 9×13 was not an issue- actually made for easier serving :) Great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Georgina, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Tim says
Delicious. My family enjoyed the presentation and flavor. Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Tim, I’m so glad it was a family hit, thank you!
Sanja says
I had a snag. I made 2 8×8 polentas. If you cut this into 4 squares there will be a lot of empty space in 9×12 casserole dish, which is all I had. If I used one of the 8×8’s it would of overflowed big time with my meat sauce & cheese. So I flopped a polenta on the cutting board & sliced it in half length wise. Was going to throw this away initially but don’t. Save it & make 2 8×8 lasagna’s!
I used ricotta instead of the parmesan. Came out killer!!! Thank You Kimberly!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Perfect, Sanja! Thanks so much for the feedback and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
mary duarte says
I know this is an older post..but my family absolute LOVES this lasagna. My husband actually prefers the polenta then regular noodles. The flavors are to die for. Just wanted to thank you for such an awesome recipe that makes me seem like an amazing cook :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Mary, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Jamie says
Welp, I had no lasagna noodles so I used polenta instead. Will tell you how it turns out! Crossing my fingers here!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That was a smart move in a pinch, Jamie! Remember the polenta needs to chill in the fridge to firm up. Happy cooking!
JoAnn says
Questions… You use two 8 inch square pyrex to harden the polenta. Then do you use a 9 x 13 inch pyrex to
bake the Polenta Lasagna? Thanks a bunch!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi JoAnn! Yes, or whatever baking dish you have that will fit the lasagna. Keep in mind that they’re initially in one layer as they’re firming up, so they take up more room. When you assemble the lasagna they will be stacked.
Heather says
I made a version of this the other night. Just a tip – it’s actually pretty quick meal if you already have the polenta made. We had polenta with a turkey stew one night and I made a double batch, poured the leftovers onto a baking sheet to cool and harden, and then sliced them up, stuck them in the fridge until the end of the week when I made this. I already had meat sauce in the freezer, so voila!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the feedback, Heather! It is quick indeed. I think I make a note of that in my post that this dish lends itself perfectly to a make-ahead meal. And it looks like the kind of meal you’ve spent hours on! ;)
chameleon says
Love your recipes. I know this site is all about traditional Italian recipes, but I just wanted to let you know that this lasagna recipe worked out wonderfully with some locally available southeast Virginia ingredients. I found your site when looking for ways to use leftover cheese grits after I cooked way too much for company. I utilized the cooled grits in the manner in which you used the polenta, and subbed ground venison for the ground beef in the sauce. It was really good, and a neat change of pace. For my next experiment I plan to recreate your braciole with venison. I have a nice roast cut from a doe that should do well. I don’t know how you feel about wild game, but I appreciate you sharing your recipes. Many of them translate well to what I have available.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, chameleon! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed this and I’ve no doubt the venison worked beautifully. How I feel about wild game is that I wish I had access to some! :) My husband has talked about trying his hand at hunting but neither of us can muster up the courage to do it. I would bawl my eyes out and he’s too much of a softie himself. So we really wish we had some friends who hunt who were willing to share! ;) Please let us know how the braciole turns out. Happy cooking!
Bruno in Cal says
You stole my mother’s recipe. Thanks, now I can make it after all these years.
MD says
Has anyone made this? A tablespoon of salt? It is WAY too salty…..
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Have you actually tried it, MD? 2 cups of cornmeal to 1 tablespoon of salt is pretty standard. Do a Google search and you’ll find it’s the common ratio across a variety of polenta recipes. As with any recipe though, the salt content can be tailored to your own preferences.
Beth says
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have been searching for it and couldn’t remember where I had seen it last (Williams-Sonoma website years ago). Anyway, it is fabulous. I don’t bother to cut it into squares. I just layer the top piece right on the bottom one and bake it like lasagna and cut it into squares after baking. I have also tried it with smoked mozzarella which was interesting as well.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, so glad you’ve found it, Beth! I’m pretty sure the WS version is available online and you can compare it to this one. I’ve made several alterations and am very happy with the results. Happy cooking!