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Prep
Difficulty
Easy
Time
Estimate
45 mins
Soak the polenta. Slice and salt the eggplant. Whip up the pesto. Simmer the polenta, stir occasionally. The oven temperature can be set to 375 for all of the baked dishes. Rinse the eggplant and bake the slices. Prepare the pattypan squash, bake on on side. Flip the squash, fill. Assemble the napoleons. Keep stirring the polenta periodically, adding broth or water if it starts sticking too much. Serve a napoleon and squash on top of a generous pile of polenta- or alongside if you prefer.
Silky, creamy polenta is said to be obtained through hours of simmering and stirring. Try this method for a bit faster approach that will still produce a creamy, starchy side dish without lumps. It can be made vegan with just water or ‘no-chicken’ vegan broth instead.
Eggplant is stacked, with the same love reserved for the French dessert. Each layer has a bit of mozzarella, basil and tomatoes making for an elegant vegetarian main dish.
Homemade pesto is an amazing, yet simple luxury. Have a mortar & pestle? Roll up those sleeves and pound some love into this garlic-basil-olive oil sauciness. Have a food processor? Pulse, pulse and you are done. We use lemon to brighten the flavor and retain color. Make this vegan by substituting more nuts for the cheese. If you can’t find or afford pricy pine nuts, I love my pesto with walnuts, pistachios, almonds or even pecans.
Those flying saucer squash are perfect for cutting in half and stuffing with goodness. Pesto is especially fun and bright for the summer. We prepared ours on the grill, but roasting in the oven will also get the job done.
