Beef and Polenta Pie

Photo: The Duo Dishes

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 red onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 zucchinis, sliced

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 cups water, divided

9 ounces roasted red peppers, drained and sliced

3 ounces Neufchatel cheese

1 1/2 cups fresh parmesan, grated

Preparation

Add olive oil to a wide pan. When hot, slide in garlic and onions.

Once onions start to go translucent, add beef, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until browned, approximately 6-8 minutes.

As beef cooks, pour 1 1/2 cups of water into a pan and set to boil. Stir cornmeal into remaining 1/2 cup of water. When water is boiling, add cornmeal and stir well. Turn heat down to simmer and cook according to package directions. Stir in Neufchatel cheese at the end of the cooking time.

Remove beef and set aside to drain, but save pan drippings. Add zucchini directly to pan drippings and cook until they start to soften, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Using a 9-inch pie pan, layer cooked ground beef with zucchini followed by roasted peppers. Top with 1 cup of parmesan cheese.

Spread cooked polenta evenly on top of the beef and vegetables. Top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Line a baking dish with foil and set pie pan on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese browns.