Polenta and Ricotta Stacks with Vegetables

I really enjoy eating polenta, but as good as it always is in restaurants, I never know what to do with it at home.  Luckily, while searching for a recipe to use up my ricotta with, I came across a recipe similar to this one.  It seemed like a great way to cook some polenta and use the ricotta cheese I had.  The recipe I found had ground turkey in it though, and I wanted to make a vegetarian version.  I also wanted to use the zucchini and tomatoes I had in the fridge, so I made a few changes to the recipe.  It was an easy dish to make and it was a nice, light, summery dinner when served with some baby greens on the side. 



Polenta and Ricotta Stacks with Vegetables

1prepared polenta log (found in the rice/pasta area of grocery stores)

1 tbsp butter

1 350g container of ricotta cheese

1 cup baby spinach

2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced

1 small zucchini, finely diced

1/2 yellow pepper, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Swiss or Mozzarella cheese



Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the polenta log into 8 1 inch-thick slices.  Melt butter over med-high heat in large frying pan and fry polenta slices for about 4 minutes per side, or until browned.  Place the slices in a baking dish.  Using the same frying pan stir-fry the zucchini, pepper, and garlic for about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for about a minute more. 

Mix the ricotta cheese with the basil, lemon zest, and black pepper.  Top each of the polenta slices with some baby spinach.  Divide the ricotta mixture evenly between the 8 slices, spreading it out to cover the spinach.  Place a large spoonful of the vegetable mixture on each of the slices and then cover each one with grated cheese.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!