(Yesterday was) Meatless Monday: Polenta and Bean Casserole

The weekend was loooong – in a really good way. Needless to say, it left me not so ready to face Monday. I just wanted to stay in weekend mode for as long as possible. I guess I rebelled by not searching for a fabulous new recipe for our Monday night dinner. Instead I just searched through the pantry and came up with a Polenta and Bean Casserole. The husband didn't seem to mind and, I have to admit, I didn't think it was that bad, either. In fact, I ate it again tonight. I guess I'm still not admitting that the workweek is in full effect.

Polenta and Bean Casserole
Makes 4 servings at about 200 calories per serving

1/2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 TBSP Creole seasoning
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes and chiles

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 garlic clove, minced
a dash of paprika
a dash of mixed-up pepper
9 TBSP cornmeal
2 cups water, give or take
a dash of salt

2 tsp Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and saute a few minutes. Add in the green pepper and let everything cook until the veggies get a little tender. (They don't have to cook much at all because they'll cook in the oven.) 

Stir in the Creole seasoning, evenly coating the veggies.

Add in the tomatoes, beans, paprika and pepper. (You may want to salt to taste, but I skipped this. I was worried the seasonings would have already made everything too salty.)

While you wait for the tomatoes and veggies to simmer, get another medium saucepan out for the polenta. Heat about 2 cups of water and a dash of salt over high heat. Once the water is boiling, quickly stir in the cornmeal; turn the heat down to low. The polenta will thicken quickly, so whisk, whisk, whisk! (I kept stirring until my polenta was probably just thicker than peanut butter. And if your tomatoes have been simmering for a few minutes by this point, no worries.)

Put the tomato and bean mixture in an 8x8 glass dish. Use a spatula to cover the veggies with the polenta and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the polenta has started to brown a little. Serve with nonfat plain yogurt, if you're a wimp like me. Serve with more Creole seasoning, if you're like my husband.