Polenta, Mushroom and Kale Cocotte

Recipes

A “cocotte” is just a fancy name for casserole.  You know, so you can impress your friends with your French language and cooking skills with this polenta, mushroom and kale cocotte 😉.

This baby is a fantastic vegan main dish – loved by the veggies and meat-eaters, alike!  When I served this at a dinner recently, I even converted a kale-hater.  You’re gonna love it, trust me.

 

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Polenta, Mushroom and Kale Cocotte

  • Yield: 10 people 1x
  • Category: Main Course, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Please note that I have provided ingredients and instructions for the marinara sauce (which is fantastic) but you could use jarred to make things easier. I would still add a little wine to the sauce, though, as it brightens up jarred sauce quite nicely.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 TB Avocado Oil, divided
  • 6 cloves Garlic, chopped
  • 4 Cups Mushrooms (a mixture of types is best)
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 4 Cups Kale, stemmed and chopped
  • 4 Cups Water
  • 2 Cups Yellow Cornmeal
  • 1 TB Italian Parsley, chopped
  • 1 Cup Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 2–3 Cups Marinara Sauce (jarred or see below)

Marinara Sauce

  • 1/4 Cup Avocado Oil
  • 2 Large Yellow Onions, diced
  • 8 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Dried oregano
  • 6 TB Red Wine
  • 2 28-oz cans Plum Tomatoes
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and oil a 9×12-inch casserole dish.
  2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add about a third of the garlic and all of the mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are cooked and sweating (8-10 minutes). Add one teaspoon of the salt, move to a bowl and set aside.
  3. Add kale to a microwave-safe bowl and add a little water (2 TB to 1/4 Cup, depending on how wet the kale is). Cover with plastic wrap and steam by placing in microwave a minute or two. You don’t want the kale to be floppy, just a little softer. Drain, chop, and set aside.
  4. In the pot the mushrooms were in, combine water, remaining garlic, and 2 TB avocado oil and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the salt (1 tsp) and get the whisk ready. You’re going to slowly pour the cornmeal into the water while whisking. Keep whisking (then stirring, as it thickens) for about 5 minutes. Mix in parsley and set aside.
  5. If you have made the marinara sauce or are using jarred, you are ready for assembly! Pour half of the polenta into the prepared casserole dish and smooth it down as much as possible. Add half of the mushrooms, a cup or two of sauce (you want to cover it all with about an eight- to a quarter-inch thick layer of sauce), half of the cheese and half of the kale. For the second layer, dollop on the remaining polenta and smooth down, followed by the remaining ingredients. Finish with the cheese and, finally, the sauce. You may want extra sauce on the top layer but be sure to save some for finishing.
  6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through and bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving with extra sauce on the side.

Marinara Sauce

  1. Sauté onions in oil over medium-high heat until translucent (about 10 minutes).
  2. Add garlic and oregano, stirring to combine.
  3. Pour in tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil. Decrease to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens a bit.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Blend half of the sauce (or use an immersion blender) so that it is mostly smooth with a few tomato chunks.
  6. Feel free to store in the fridge 5-7 days or in the freezer for a good, long while. Enjoy!
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