Mexican Polenta Pie

Justin didn't really like this b/c, apparently, he doesn't like polenta. But I really liked this, so I'm posting it.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
3 TB chili powder
1 TB cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
15 oz can black beans rinsed & drained
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup salsa
2 16oz tubes refrigerated cooked polenta
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
2/3 cup fresh chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet cook onion, garlic, green pepper in the oil. Add turkey, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add beans, undrained tomatoes, and salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes.

2. In a greased 9x13 baking dish cut 1 tube of polenta into 1/2 inch slices, laying out into the pan. Halve remaining polenta lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices; set aside. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over polenta in the dish. Top with meat mixture. Arrange sliced polenta on top, sprinkle with remaining cheese & chopped tomatoes. Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro. Let stand 15-20 minutes before serving.

What I did: This recipe makes a lot, so you might want to make it in 2 pans and freeze one. I saved a few bucks & made the polenta myself (bring 3 cups salted water to a boil. Stir in 1 cup yellow cornmeal with a whisk. Remove from heat & stir until thick & no lumps. Spread in greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let cool in the fridge until firm. Cut into squares to use in the recipe. This comes out about an inch thick in the pan so I cut some of the pieces in half for the top. Or you could just spread the polenta in a sheet cake pan instead of a 9x13 then it wouldn't be so thick).

Source: www.bhg.com