It's time to revisit classic Italian lasagna

I woke up one morning last week with a hankering for a piping-hot, cheese-oozing square of lasagna.

Now the terms "instant gratification" and "lasagna" usually don't go together. For most people the only time the dish lands on a week-night dinner table is when it's made the previous weekend.

What I had in mind was a quick but gussied-up version of this Italian classic. Surely, somewhere in a cookbook or in cyberspace I'd find such a jewel.

Eventually, I flipped to the whole grain and hearty chapter of Sara Moulton's "Everyday Family Dinners." There, embedded in her recipe for Polenta Lasagne, was the description I was looking for:

"The finished product tastes like the slow-cooking comfort food you expect to see only on a weekend or special occasion," she said.

This recipe came with a twist.

In all my years of cooking lasagna, it never occurred to me to substitute precooked, sliced polenta for the pasta. You can make polenta from scratch, but the pre-made variety sold in tubular form will speed up meal prep considerable. It was worth a try.

Taking a closer look at the recipe, I decided to replace the sausage and can of diced tomatoes it called for with portobello mushrooms and a jar of organic pasta sauce I had on hand.

Essentially boiled cornmeal, polenta is usually cooked soft — think mashed potatoes — or firm, with a brownie-like consistency.

There was no cooked polenta at my supermarket. But there was a box of quick-cook, which prepared in five minutes. I didn't think anyone would shoot me if I used that instead. It cost me a few extra steps because once cooked it, I had to spread the polenta in a pan and let it cool in the fridge before using.

And what a marvelous, to-die-for-dinner it was. The dish was even better the next evening.

Now there's no excuse to mail in a Monday-through-Friday dinner.

Polenta Lasagne

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage (optional)

1 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves

One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or 1 jar pasta sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 16- to 18-ounce log cooked plain polenta

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

4 ounces sliced mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, slice the sausage into 1/2 -inch pieces and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the onion and mushrooms and cook until softened. Press the garlic into the pan and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes with their juice or pasta sauce and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 1/3 -inch-thick slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat and add half the polenta slices in one layer across the pan. Sauté the polenta for about 5 minutes, turn and sauté the other side for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown. Remove the slices and arrange them to cover the bottom of the oiled baking pan. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining polenta.

Spoon half of the sauce over the polenta in the pan. Top it with half the mozzarella and grated cheese. Repeat the process, layering the remaining polenta, sauce, mozzarella and grated cheese.

Bake the lasagne for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Adapted from "Everyday Family Dinners," by Sara Moulton.