Cheesy Polenta Lasagna with Mushrooms and Seitan

yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

active time: 35 min

total time: 1 hr

Increasingly available in supermarkets, the firm wheat protein known as seitan is mild in flavor and versatile in the kitchen. In this casserole, it takes on the earthy flavor of mushrooms, adding heartiness and heft.

Ingredients
For cheese sauce:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 pound Italian Fontina, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
• 3 ounces Gruyère, coarsely grated (about 1 cup), divided
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

For mushroom-seitan filling:

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces seitan (patted dry and thinly sliced)
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 (16-to 18-ounce) logs ready-made plain polenta

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third. Lightly butter a 2-to 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.

Make cheese sauce:
Melt butter in a 2-to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then cook roux, whisking frequently, until pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in a separate small saucepan until just about to boil. Add milk to roux in 2 batches, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring to a boil, whisking, then cook, whisking, 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in Fontina, half of Gruyère, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and set aside, whisking occasionally.

Make mushroom-seitan filling:
Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until beginning to turn pale golden. Stir in mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes. Add seitan and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms and seitan are slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add water and cook briefly, scraping up any brown bits.

Assemble and bake lasagne:
Spread 1/2 cup cheese sauce in bottom of baking dish.

Slice 1 log of polenta into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange enough rounds to cover bottom of dish, overlapping slightly. Spoon half of filling evenly over polenta, then spread with half of remaining cheese sauce (about 1 cup). Slice enough rounds from second log to form a second layer. Cover with remaining filling, then cheese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère and bake until top is just bubbling and slightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cooks’ notes: —Lasagne can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.
—Any leftover polenta log can be sliced and sautéed in oil or butter to serve with eggs at breakfast.

From epicurious.com

Lasagna

Weight Watchers Recipe.

Lasagna

Was POINTS® Value: 8
Now POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 25 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Who says you can't eat lasagna? We nearly halved the calories by scaling back on the cheese and replacing it with lots of flavorful vegetables and fresh herbs.

Ingredients
14 1/2 oz canned tomatoes, whole peeled
1 tbsp canned tomato paste
2 medium tomato(es), coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
2 medium raw eggplant
1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
1 medium leek(s), finely chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), crushed
12 medium basil, leaves, torn
1/2 pound(s) dry lasagna noodles, cooked (about 9 noodles)
1 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions

* Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly coat a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

* Blend undrained canned tomatoes with paste until combined. Stir in fresh chopped tomatoes and sugar.

* Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices; place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 15 minutes, rinse and drain.

* Coat a nonstick pan with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Cook eggplant in batches until soft and well-browned; set aside.

* Cook leeks and garlic in the same pan, stirring until leeks soften.

* Cover bottom of prepared pan with 3 cooked noodles. Layer with 1/2 each eggplant, tomato mixture, leeks, basil and cheese. Repeat with 3 more noodles and top with rest of eggplant, tomato mixture, leeks and basil. Top with remaining noodles and cheese.

* Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

Chef Tips

* We renovated Lasagna by:
o Relying on vegetables instead of high-fat meat or excessive amounts of cheese to bulk out the dish.

o Using part-skim cheese to cut back on fat.

o Using shredded cheese, which covers a larger surface area with a lesser amount, but imparts lots of flavor.

o Making our own fresh tomato sauce - less POINTS than many of the store-bought varieties.

From Weight Watchers website.