Stacked Polenta with Bolognese Sauce

by ALEXA

Last week I posted a recipe (if you can call it that) for a four-ingredient Italian Sausage Seasoning blend—the secret ingredient in my Bolognese sauce.

This week I’m dishing up the recipe for that Bolognese. It’s makes enough to feed a crowd and then some, and freezes well for a quick mid-week dinner. Serve it over brown rice pasta or spaghetti squash or layer it between slices of polenta and sauteed veggies for a quick “lasagne” (our lates family favorite).

Crockpot Bolognese Sauce

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Corn-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Peanut-Free | Potato-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut-Free | Wheat-Free | Grain-Free | Sesame-Free | Yeast-free | GFCF

Serves: LOTS
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time:  4-6 hours in crockpot

Ingredients:

1 pound GROUND BEEF
12 ounces GROUND TURKEY
12 ounces GROUND CHICKEN
1-2 tablespoons Italian Sausage Seasoning
3 jars of your favorite MARINARA SAUCE (I use Classico® Organic that I buy at Costco)

Directions:

  1. Brown meat together. Drain fat if desired.
  2. Season with Italian Sausage Seasoning.
  3. Add meat to bowl of food processor and pulse a few times. You want a fine-ground meat (think the texture of Taco Bell burger “meat”, gross, I know). This step makes for a thicker sauce.
  4. Toss meat into crockpot along with marinara sauce.
  5. Give it a good stir and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Polenta Stacks

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Peanut-Free | Potato-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut-Free | Wheat-Free | Grain-Free | Sesame-Free | Yeast-free | GFCF

  1. Slice a roll of PRE-COOKED POLENTA into 1/4-1/2″ slices.
  2. Brush with oil and pan-fry or bake until they begin to crisp a bit.
  3. Make stacks by alternating polenta slices, Bolognese sauce, your favorite sauteed veggies, maybe some of this if you can’t have dairy or maybe real cheese if you can.
  4. Serve.

More Good Stuff

8 comments

Nancy @ The Sensitive Pantryan June 4, 2012 - 2:15 am

I love this, Lexie. It looks delicious. I would have never thought to "grind" the meat finer…great idea. (Love your new blog look, too!)

Reply
Poha June 7, 2012 - 3:56 am

Wow; polenta: yumm! Thanks for posting the recipe for the bolognese. We love to have major sweet-spot dishes ready-to-go, in the freezer. This one is a real winner.

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Dawn @ Cuter Than Gluten June 9, 2012 - 4:17 pm

I love the photo presentation. I really like the way it is tilted. Great job!

Reply
Alisa June 29, 2012 - 4:18 am

I love that you make your own seasonings too! I keep forgetting about polenta and need to get on using it again. Such an easy meal.

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Maggie June 29, 2012 - 1:12 pm

Beautiful pic Lex! I love polenta 🙂

Reply
Sarah August 19, 2012 - 12:42 am

Lexie, I just came across your blog and it's gorgeous! This recipe looks sooooo yummy! Three members of my family are on a gluten free diet (celiac disease and allergy). It's been quite the journey the last couple of years. I also do recipes that are dairy free as well.

I finally got around to starting my own gluten free blog and would love for you to check it out! Thanks and have a great day!

-Sarah
http://www.sarahbakesgfree.com

Reply
Stasie October 23, 2013 - 5:19 pm

What crock pot do you use? I research and research and can not find a non-toxic one that seems to work well (according to user reviews) 🙁 thanks for your help and love your blog!

Reply
Lexie October 23, 2013 - 5:42 pm

Hi Stasie,

I have switched to a pressure cooker for most of my crock pot cooking. It gets done lickety split. Like you I was searching for a slow cooker pot that wouldn't leach anything yucky. I think my search led me to models with clay (if that's what you call them) inserts … but I ended up getting a pressure cooker instead. It may not the best for cooking thick sauces, but great for chicken, stews, etc. I bought a stainless steel insert to replace the non-stick one it came with (see cuisinart). xoLexie

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