Healthy, Hearty Italian Dinner

Total Time: 2 mins Preparation Time: 1 min Cook Time: 1 min

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 -2 onion, chopped
• 1/2-1 lb baby carrots
• 1 -2 garlic clove
• 1 -2 lb frozen yellow squash (or zucchini)
• 1 lb frozen spinach
• 12 -16 ounces canned artichoke hearts
• 1 -2 cup cooked chickpeas (rinse well if canned)
• 6 -12 ounces canned mushrooms
• 2 quarts spaghetti sauce (i like classico)
• 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1/4 cup vermouth (optional)
• olive oil
• salt
• eggplant
• italian beans
• swiss chard (chopped)
• escarole (chopped)
• broccoli floret
• cauliflower floret
• diced tomato
• 1 -2 lb firm prepared polenta
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• italian seasoning

Recipe

• 1 brown onions and baby carrots in a little olive oil over medium heat.
• 2 stir in other vegetables and toss well.
• 3 add spaghetti sauce, stock, vermouth, and herbs. stir well and bring to a boil.
• 4 simmer until carrots are fully cooked and flavors are blended – about 30 minutes though it can hold as long as needed. taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• 5 if the sauce is too thick for your tastes add additional stock, tomato juice, or v8.
• 6 if the sauce is too thin for your tastes add tomato paste or simmer, uncovered, until it thickens.
• 7 to prepare the polenta, first slice about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.
• 8 lightly grease a griddle with olive oil. heat it on medium to medium-high heat.
• 9 brush the polenta slices with olive oil as well.
• 10 brown both sides of the polenta on the hot griddle then sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and italian seasoning.
• 11 serve sauce over polenta and top with parmesan.
• 12 if you like, you can round out the meal with a green salad and garlic bread.
• 13 note: feel free to add cooked chicken, browned ground beef, browned sausage, cooked lamb, or whatever leftover meat you have if you don’t want a meatless dish.
• 14 note: if you are adding leftover vegetables that have already been cooked add them at the last 10 minutes so they don’t overcook.
• 15 note: this can be made in the crockpot but may require you to reduce the amount of stock. brown onions and carrots first for the best flavor.