I love my crock pot, and I’m always looking for new recipes other than stews, soups and heavy beef/chicken dishes. Well – I definitely found one, and it’s a keeper! When perusing the Internet a few months ago, I came across this recipe for a Vegetable Casserole in the slow cooker. Since B has what he likes to call a “meat tooth,” I hardly ever make vegetarian recipes and had put it aside. So, this week when I was home in NY, when my mom told me she had never used her crock pot and was looking for a recipe to try, I knew exactly what to suggest!
We made this recipe. It was delicious and filling – and my whole family (mom, dad and brother) really enjoyed it. Although my dad did end up grilling some chicken to eat with it, but it’d definitely be filling enough (in my opinion) on its own.
- 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans
- 2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas
- 1/4
c basil pesto (I used homemade, but you can certainly buy it at the store)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4
cloves garlic, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1
16-ounce package refrigerated cooked plain polenta cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices – we used this Sundried Tomato Garlic Polenta and only used 2 cloves of garlic, above
- 1 l
arge tomato, thinly sliced
- 1
8-ounce package finely shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
- 2
cups fresh spinach
- 1
cup torn radicchio
Here’s what you do:
- Rinse and drain chickpeas and beans. In large bowl combine beans, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, diced onion, garlic, oregano and basil.
- In your large crock pot, layer half of bean mixture, half of the sliced polenta, and half of cheese. Add remaining beans and polenta.
- Cover; cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or on high heat setting 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
- Add tomato, remaining cheese, spinach, and radicchio. Combine remaining pesto with 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle pesto mixture on casserole.
- Enjoy! Serve alone, or as a side dish to a meat item (such as grilled chicken) if you prefer.
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