Nonni's Polenta Lasagna

*Serves 9-12

• 2 cups polenta
• 8 cups of chicken broth
• ½ cube of butter/ 2 tblsp. olive oil for sautéing
• 4 Italian mild sausages (remove from casings)
• 2 bunches chopped swiss chard (remove white ribs)
• 10-12 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1# sliced mushrooms (remove stems)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Pesto Sauce
• 3 pouches (36 oz) of My Nonni’s Italian Meat Sauce
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Polenta

Prepare day ahead!

• Bring chicken broth and butter to a boil.
• Slowly add polenta, stirring in the same direction. Reduce heat to a simmer and occasionally stir to avoid lumps, scraping bottom and sides of pan.
• When polenta is done, (about 25-30 minutes), pour into a buttered 8 X 8 Pyrex dish. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.

Filling:

• Crumble and sauté sausage and set aside in bowl.
• Sauté garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add swiss chard till limp and all moisture is gone.  Set aside.
• Sauté onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Add mushrooms and sauté till golden. Drain excess liquid.
• Combine sautéed sausage, Swiss chard, garlic, onion and mushrooms in bowl.

Assembly:

• Remove polenta from pyrex by turning over and releasing.
• Slice polenta into ¼” slices
• Using a 9 X 13 Pyrex – ladle My Nonni’s Italian Meat Sauce on bottom of dish and layer slices of polenta over sauce to cover bottom.
• Continue layering (about 3 layers) in this order: sauce, polenta, pesto, ricotta, filling, and grated cheeses.  Finish top layer with sauce and grated cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Let cool about 10 minutes.

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