This lasagne-with-a-twist from food writer and author Ursula Ferrigno hails from Italy’s Veneto region. “Hearty and delicious, this lasagne uses polenta in place of pasta sheets – it’s a real crowdpleaser,” says Ursula. Layers of creamy polenta alternate with a rich sausage sauce, pecorino and mozzarella for an epic, seriously cheesy bake.
A vastly experienced and well travelled cookery teacher and writer, Ursula has taught in the UK, Italy, Ireland and the USA. This recipe is taken from Cucina Del Veneto (Ryland Peters & Small £22), the latest of her 20-plus cookbooks, and has been tested by delicious.
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra to grease
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 6-8 pork sausages, ideally flavoured with fennel and/or red wine
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 225g coarse polenta
- 30g flatleaf parsley, chopped
- 100g pecorino, finely grated
- 150g mozzarella, sliced
- Crusty bread to serve (optional)
Specialist kit
- Roughly 23cm square baking dish
Method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot, then cook until lightly coloured (about 8 minutes). Split open the sausages and crumble the meat into the pan (discard the skins), breaking up any large clumps with a spoon. Add the garlic, chilli and tomatoes, then bring to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour the vegetable stock into a separate saucepan
and bring to the boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Season to taste, then set aside to cool a little. - Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. When the sauce has finished cooking, remove it from the heat and stir in the parsley. Lightly oil the baking dish, then spoon in a third of the sausage sauce. Spread a third of the polenta over the top, then sprinkle over a third of the pecorino and lay a third of the mozzarella slices on top. Repeat these layers twice more, finishing with a layer of polenta and the cheeses.
- Bake for 40 minutes until bubbly and golden. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes, then serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition
- 509kcals Calories
- 26g (11g saturated) Fat
- 26g Protein
- 41g (11g sugars) Carbs
- 4.9g Fibre
- 2.7g Salt
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Reviews
I’m thinking of making this lasagne for a Christmas party. Can I assemble it the day before and then cook it on the night? Or could I make it and then reheat it? Or would the polenta not reheat well? Thanks so much!
Thank you for your query. Our food team advises that you can assemble this the day before cooking and it will reheat well too.
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