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Who does not love a good lasagna?
I mean whether you are aย meat eater, veggie hater, veggie lover, vegetarian, gluten free or vegan there is probably a lasagna out there for you.
This recipe is kind of a weird one, but I promise in a totally good way! I never thought that using creamy polenta for โnoodlesโ would be so good! Then top that with a spicyย tomatoย chorizo sauce and loads of yummy cheese! I mean really did you think I would not pile on the cheese? Really, I never thought it would turn out so good.
But luckily it did, gotta love it when that happens!
It is a really fun and delicious dish to prepare for any of your holiday gatherings and a welcomed change from the traditional lasagna. Not that we do not love a good Italian Lasagna around here. Believe me we do!
It is kind of funny, and really I am not sure why, but we seem to like Mexican around Christmas. Is that weird? On New Years Eve we always have Queso Fundido and Tamales. I think my Aunt Katie started that one. Totally random, but good.
Chorizo and Polenta Lasagna
Ingredients
- For the polenta:
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking polenta
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the chorizo sauce:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14- ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- For the lasagna:
- 1 large bunch spinach, you could also use frozen spinach
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
- 1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Make the polenta: Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the polenta and whisk until fully incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover and cook over medium heat, 5 to 6 minutes. Finish by folding in the melted butter. Keep warm.
- Make the chorizo sauce: Coat a large saute pan with the olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until almost translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the ground pork and brown 4 to 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, chili powder and cumin and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 1 more minute to toast the spices, then add the vinegar, minced garlic and tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Taste and season once more with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Make the lasagna: Wash, drain and finely slice the spinach. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the chard and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain in a colander and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch-oval or 8-inch-square baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the polenta in the dish and spread out evenly. Top with half of the chorizo sauce and half of the spinach. Sprinkle with 1/3 of each cheese. Top evenly with another 1/3 of the remaining polenta, then the remaining spinach and chorizo sauce, leaving a 1/2 cup cup of the sauce for the top. Top that with another 1/3 of the cheese. Pour the remaining polenta evenly across the top. Spread the rest of the chorizo sauce on top and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil, place the dish on a sheet tray and bake 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Remove the foil and broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 3 more minutes. Let sit for 25 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Adapted from Food Network.
Lotsย of cheese. Obviously.
This recipe is super yummy, I would make it again!
I doubled the meat and tomatoes, and did 1.5X the polenta and spinach. It felt like a good ratio. Make sure you pour the polenta ASAP when it’s nice and hot, I did it when it was cooled and it was definitely harder to spread, I ended up trying to plop it around in clumps evenly. The end result turned out well though and tasted great!
I will say though, after looking at the food network link, this recipe is EXACTLY copied from their website. Did not even update the directions to say chard instead of spinach? Leaves me feeling lackluster about this overall
Happy New Year!! I’d love to make a veggie dish like this one!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! ๐
I hope to see you again next week!
This week’s link up will be live tonight at 7 pm eastern time! We will have kicking this year off with a Gluten Free Giveaway! Better Batter has graciously offered to share some Brownie mix to one lucky person! Come share all your goodies! Remember you can link up recipes, review or healthy living posts! The more you link up the more chances you have to win!
See you there!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
I love this! Pinning for later…
Sherry K-Jazzy Gourmet
Thanks for pinning!
This looks amazing.
This is a gorgeous dish. We love chorizo. I love the addition of spinach too. A great way to get your veggies in. Thanks for sharing on Thursdays Treasues.
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Pinned!
Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Canโt wait to see what you share next week! Have a wonderful weekend.
Michelle
This looks really good. Thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday! Please come back on Sunday to VOTE! We would appreciate if you would add our FFF link to your recipes.
The town where I am from (Ferrara, Italy) we eat polenta as a pasta substitute . Back in time, polenta flour was cheap and filling, therefore that’s what the poor people ate and a lot of traditional recipes from my city are polenta base. Makes me want to make some for dinner!!
Looks like you plagiarized this recipe! Wow you’ve been plagiarizing for 10+ years now.
What a wonderful weeknight meal for a chilly night. I can’t wait to try this, I love the Mexican flavors. We have made this with Italian sauces and flavors, but not Mexican.
Every time I think that you couldn’t possibly top the last recipe…… You Go and Do IT!!! Keep them Coming!
well Garfield be have a merrier Christmas after eating this. LOL!โบ
I love how different this is! I love chorizo, and know that I would clear my plate.
Wow, this is a whole new twist for lasagna and I cannot wait to try it.