Roasted Root Vegetables & Polenta Pie

The inspiration for this next dish came to me from a very wonderful family friend, Miss Ali Campbell. Not only is she a talented artist and intellectual, she also can cook up some mouth-watering magic in the kitchen! After enjoying a particularly delicious vegetable bake at her home one evening, I was plenty eager to try my hand at such a dish, and saw a nice opportunity to make good use of the polenta meal I'd been hoarding in the cupboard for weeks.

I was even more excited after my total at the checkout counter came to $7.19! Yes, that's right, a hearty and fresh vegetarian delight for under $10. Who says eating organic can't be cost-effective?

Roasted Root Vegetables & Polenta Pie 

• 2 cups Polenta 
• 6 1/2 cups luke warm water
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 2 Carrots, sliced
• 2 Mini Zucchinis, sliced
• 2 Beets, greens removed, washed and sliced
• 2 yellow Summer Squash, sliced
• 3 Red Potatoes, sliced
• 1 Vidalia Onion, sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil 
• 2 tsp. Rosemary (fresh or dried)
• 2 tsp. dried Leeks, chives, garlic powder and onion granules (I made a blend using dried spices, you can substitute a seasoned garlic powder if you cannot find something similar)
• Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• Freshly Grated Parmesan, to serve
• Optional: Andouille Sausage (See *Alterations!*)

*Begin by making your polenta. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a buttered (or sprayed) baking pan add the polenta, water, 2 tsp. of salt, and the butter. Mix with a fork until evenly spread out across the bottom of the pan and bake for 50 minutes. Check occasionally and fluff with a fork if needed. (See end for crunchier crust alteration!)

*Meanwhile prep the vegetables. The slicing and dicing accounts for the majority of the effort. Once the polenta is fluffy and browned, increase the heat to 425 degrees. Remove the polenta and dock the bottom of the pan with a fork. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 of the minced garlic, a pinch of garlic powder, and a dash of salt and pepper. 


*Beginning with the summer squash, make a thin layer across the entire top of the polenta. Next layer the potatoes across the top of the squash, interlacing them with a few rows of onions. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil over the top, and once again sprinkle with spices. Next, lay down a layer of beets, and another layer of onions. The final top layer will be the zucchini and carrots, which I chose to alternate in rows. Finish with the remaining minced garlic, rosemary and other spices, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil. 


*Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. At this time, reduce the heat to 250 degrees and continue baking for another hour, checking to ensure nothing is burning. Next, drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Check the firmness of the vegetables, if they are soft but firm change the oven to *Broil* and cook on High for 10 minutes. If after 2 hours of baking your veggies are not yet ready, continue baking until soft and then proceed with the broiling. 

To Serve: Slice and serve with freshly grated parmesan. 

*Alterations: If you are like my boyfriend who doesn't believe vegetables constitute a "real" meal, there is a quick fix that makes this carnivore approved! When you are ready to put the pie into the final broil, pepper the top with thick slices of andouille sausage. I used a Red Pepper Andouille Sausage from Costco. The final 10 minutes is plenty of time to cook the sausage completely through if you are broiling on High.

This dish can be easily adapted to fit any season so feel free to switch it up with whatever vegetables look best. You can also opt to make the polenta in a saucepan the day before; while the polenta is cooling form it into your baking pan, cover, and refrigerate over-night. Then, drizzle about 1/2 tsp of Olive Oil across the top and proceed as normal, baking it for 50 minutes before you add the vegetables. This definitely makes for a crunchier crust, which I personally adore.

<3 Marea