Receta June-uary crockpot polenta lasagna
The weather here has been looking more like January than June. In the spirit of comfort food, I came up with this crockpot version of a vegan polenta lasagna. It is healthy and delicious and I think that trying this recipe with different veggies would be good too. This recipe was inspired by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.
Polenta*
4 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 tbsp margarine (I used Earth Balance)
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly add polenta. Add margarine and stir continuously until very thick.
Pour polenta onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly to about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside to cool.
When cooled, cut into rectangles.
*You may use pre-made polenta to make this even quicker.
Vegan Polenta Lasagna
Olive oil
1 large portobello mushroom, cut into thin 1 inch slices
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and chopped
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
Cheese sauce (see below)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or in a jar)
Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and saute until mushrooms start to get juicy. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and cook until kale is bright green and starting to soften. Add cheese sauce and cook until it has thickened a bit and is no longer runny. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Cover the bottom of the crockpot with a layer of marinara sauce. Cover marinara sauce with a single layer of polenta slices (homemade or pre-made). Top with a layer of the kale mixture. Repeat layers: marinara sauce, polenta, kale; finishing with a layer of polenta then marinara.
Cover and cook on high heat for about 3-4 hours. Uncover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
- Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used almond)
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp corn starch or arrowroot
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.