I’ve been eyeing a recipe that has LOTS of mushrooms on top of creamy polenta. I didn’t have any uncooked, plain polenta but I did have a package of pre-cooked  Trader Joe’s Organic Polenta that we usually use for polenta fries. Soooo, I did a little thinking and came up with this….

Stacked golden polenta rounds with mushrooms and shallots sauteed in a wine reduction. Topped with shaved Parmesan. Glass (or bottle) of wine. Friday night deliciousness. Did I mention, it’s actually healthy?

Please ignore Andy’s hand in the picture. We have absolutely NO natural light coming into our place so he’s holding it over the balcony. My Photoshop skills are lacking, so the hand stays.

MUSHROOM AND POLENTA NAPOLEON

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbls. olive oil

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 C. sliced, assorted mushrooms (I used button and cremini)

1/2 C. red wine

1 C. grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

olive oil spray

1 package pre-cooked polenta, sliced into 1/4″ rounds

2 Tbls. shaved Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add wine and Italian seasoning to pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add grape tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes. Transfer mushroom and shallot mixture to small pan.

Spray large pan with olive oil spray. Add polenta rounds. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side, until golden and crispy.

Place one round on a plate then top with a spoonful of mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layers two more times for each Napoleon.

NOTES

4 servings

*I served this with lemon and herb marinated chicken breast and broiled asparagus.

Inspired by Wild Mushroom and Tomato Ragout with Polenta from Shape Magazine.