You can serve polenta in its most traditional form, but you can also use it to create an easy variation on gnocchi. I first learned this technique from my friend, Milan-born and-raised cooking teacher Nadia Frigieri. Making both the polenta and the sauce in a slow cooker means there’s little hands-on effort required to make this stunning dish. Adding a green salad makes this a meal.

　　

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

　　1 recipe Basic Polenta (page 63)

　　1 recipe Tomato-Mushroom Sauce (page 63)

　　1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Prepare a baking sheet by placing a layer of aluminum foil over the surface, then grease with half of the olive oil.

　　

Step 2

Spread the just-cooked polenta in a smooth layer on the baking sheet and refrigerate the polenta until cool and firm, 2 to 4 hours. Use a biscuit or ravioli cutter to stamp out rounds of polenta.

　　

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking dish by coating it with the remaining olive oil. Arrange the polenta gnocchi so the pieces are slightly overlapping one another in the bottom of the baking dish. Generously spoon the sauce over the polenta gnocchi and bake until hot, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Remove the gnocchi from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, then grind some fresh pepper over the top. Serve immediately.

　　

Suggested Beverage

Step 5

A medium- to full-bodied red wine, such as a Sangiovese, super Tuscan, or a Zinfandel, would be a good choice.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 500.0 calories

　　460.0 calories from fat

　　51.0g total fat

　　10.0g saturated fat

　　20.0mg cholesterol

　　350.0mg sodium

　　4.0g total carbs

　　2.0g dietary fiber

　　0.7g sugars

　　9.0g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　[The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/158008074X) by Lynn Alley. Copyright © 2010 Lynn Alley. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Lynn Alley is a freelance food and wine journalist interested in traditional foods and techniques from around the world. The author of Lost Arts, she has contributed articles to Fine Cooking, Cook's Illustrated, the San Francisco Chronicle, and _Appellation_magazine. She frequently writes for Wine Spectator and its Web site. Alley has also taught classes at cooking schools around the United States. She resides in San Diego, California.