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Slices of polenta are layered with a savory mix of white beans in herbed tomato sauce to make this cozy vegan casserole. Flavorful, comforting and easy enough for a weeknight dinner!
Easy, comforting casseroles are just about my favorite thing in the winter months. It's cold and I don't always feel like putting a lot of work into dinner. And casseroles can often be the easiest of dinners. Also, it's so nice having dinner cook away in the oven, warming up the house and smelling good while I wait for dinner.
This casserole fits the bill! And it has polenta, which gets it extra points in my book.
I post a lot of creamy polenta recipes on this site, but I think not nearly enough recipes that use a polenta tube. And polenta tubes are a great thing, because most of the work is already done for you. In this particular recipe, all you need to do is slice it!
How to Make Polenta Casserole
The polenta in this casserole is layered with some saucy white beans and tomatoes. Most of the work involved is in preparing the white beans and tomatoes, and it's really not very much work at all!
Cook an onion in some oil for a few minutes to soften it up. Next add some garlic and let it cook briefly, before adding some white wine and herbs. Let the wine simmer and reduce for a few minutes. Add your tomatoes and beans, and simmer a few minutes longer.
Grab an 8 x 8 baking dish and ladle a bit of white bean-tomato mixture into the bottom. All you have to do from there is layer. Arrange half of your polenta slices over the mixture, followed by another layer of bean-tomato mixture, the rest of the polenta, and a final bean-tomato layer.
Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover, and if you'd like, arrange some vegan cheese on top (I didn't bother) and bake another 10 minutes, until bubbly.
Let it cool for a few minutes, scoop onto plates and dig in.
FAQ & Tips for Making Amazing Polenta Casserole
- Feel free to top your casserole with vegan cheese if you like. I did not, but I bet some shredded mozzarella or provolone slices would be nice.
- You can pan-fry the polenta slices before assembling the casserole if you like. I've made this casserole both ways, and while pan-fried polenta makes it extra delicious, I decided it wasn't worth the additional oil and dirtying another pan.
- Can I leave the wine out? It adds a lot of flavor, but you can absolutely leave it out if you prefer.
- Is this recipe gluten-free? It sure is!
- The longer you let this sit before serving, the more it'll hold it's shape when cut. The casserole in the photos was scooped out of the pan relatively soon after baking.
- Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days.
- Check with Barnivore to ensure the wine you use for this recipe is vegan.
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4.89 from 17 votes
White Bean & Tomato Polenta Casserole
Slices of polenta are layered with a savory mix of white beans in herbed tomato sauce to make this cozy vegan casserole. Flavorful, comforting and easy enough for a weeknight dinner!
CourseEntree
CuisineAmerican, Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 316 kcal
Author Alissa Saenz
Ingredients
- 1tablespoonolive oil
- 1medium onion,diced
- 3garlic cloves,minced
- ½cupdry white wine
- 1tablespoonfresh thyme leaves(or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1tablespoonchopped fresh rosemary(or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1(14 ounce) cancannellini beans,drained and rinsed
- 1(14 ounce) candiced tomatoes in sauce
- ¼cuptomato paste
- ¼teaspoonred pepper flakes,or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1(18 ounce) tubeprepared polenta,cut into about 18 (½-inch) slices
Instructions
Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
Add the wine, thyme and rosemary. Raise the heat and bring the wine to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and red pepper flakes.
Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water to the skillet during cooking as it thickens. You want the tomato mixture to be about the thickness of spaghetti sauce.
Remove the skillet from the heat and season the mixture with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Ladle about ⅓ of the tomato-bean mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
Layer half of the polenta slices over the mixture.
Ladle another ⅓ of the tomato bean mixture over the polenta.
Arrange the remaining half of the polenta slices over the mixture.
Ladle the remaining tomato-bean mixture over the polenta.
Cover the dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.
Optionally, uncover the dish, sprinkle with vegan cheese, and bake a few minutes more, until the cheese melts.
Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes.
Slice and serve.
Nutrition Facts
White Bean & Tomato Polenta Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 316Calories from Fat 34
% Daily Value*
Fat 3.8g6%
Saturated Fat 0.6g3%
Sodium 819mg34%
Potassium 560mg16%
Carbohydrates 53g18%
Fiber 14.9g60%
Sugar 9.1g10%
Protein 12.7g25%
Calcium 120mg12%
Iron 4.3mg24%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Sarah | Well and Full saysI love the idea of using polenta in a casserole! So creative :)
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- Alissa Saenz says
Thanks Sarah! :)
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- Cricket Cooper says
Wow.
This recipe hits ALL the high points in my book~
I agree with you: YAY polenta!And hmmm... fresh homemade tomato sauce and a tube of polenta in my refrigerator right now....beans in the pantry.... Bam! Hello dinner. :-)
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- Alissa Saenz says
Yay! I hope you enjoy it!!
- Nadine Zackodnik says
I have never seen polenta in a tube in stores in my area. Do you have a polenta recipe to go along with this?
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- Alissa Saenz says
I'm afraid not, but lots of dry polenta brands supply recipes on the back of the package - I know Bob's Red Mill does.
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- Nadine Zackodnik says
Found a vegan Italian polenta recipe that looked more interesting than what they offer on the package. Absolutely lovely. No leftovers here :) LOVE your recipes.Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this and glad you're enjoying the recipes!
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- Joseph Livingstone says
Omg, this was amazing!! I added some tempeh in the bean tomato sauce for extra protein. It was spot on: savory, delicious, and flavorful!!Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Oh yum! I bet tempeh bacon was excellent with this! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Joseph!
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- Dana says
This was delicious and easy to prepare. A crowd pleaser! I doubled the recipe and used a lasagna pan. Will be making again!Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!
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- Nicole says
Super easy to make and very delicious! I love how satiating it is without being heavy.Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Yay! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks Nicole!
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- Laurie says
Relatively easy and quick to make! My husband liked it! Thank you so much!Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Laurie!
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- Wanda says
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! The sauce is spot on delicious!
Just a thought - I might make this next time with the polenta in cubes throughout.
The recipe is definitely a keeper . I’m so glad that we found your recipes. So far we’ve liked them all.Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
That sounds wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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- Bren says
This was amazing!! Garnished with green olives, which was awesome. I might try to add mushrooms next time. I'll be making it again for sure!Reply
- Gastrofoodtr says
Thank you for recipeReply
- Katie says
1. I wanted to thank you sincerely for putting a "Jump to Recipe" button! Especially when I just reopened the recipe while cooking after closing it for the third time without actually absorbing anything :D
2. This recipe was awesome! I modified it just a bit because I had olives in my pantry and wanted to use them, but all of the flavors were SO good! Absolutely going into the dinner rotation. Thank you! It was serendipitous because I happened to have polenta, canned tomato, and beans on hand.Reply
- Rhonda Mangrum says
This was so delicious! I added chopped spinach when the sauce was close to being finished and before assembling in the baking pan.
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- Amy C says
Hi- can this be made ahead and frozen before baking?
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- Alissa Saenz says
I haven't tried it myself, but I'm sure it can!
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- Colleen says
This has become one of my very favorite recipes. I’ve made it so many times. I’ve now modified it a bit, adding zucchini and mushrooms and a bit more tomato paste. I sliced the polenta fairly thin and it is just delicious. Thank you thank you thank you.
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- David says
This is one of the tastiest and most satisfying dishes I’ve ever prepared. I pan-fried the polenta rounds in chili oil and used fresh herbs from the garden. Next time I think some black olives will find their way into the sauce, but the recipe is sheer perfection as is.Reply
- Deborah says
Next time I make this, I will increase the amount of thyme and rosemary, or I will add some other herbs or spices. It was relatively bland. I liked how easy it was and also how the ingredients were all things I had on hand. I substituted onion for shallots, used about 6 cloves or garlic, and added about 8 oz of mushrooms. It was good enough for a busy night and has the potential for a very good dish with some additions.Reply
