Roman-style Polenta Bake

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat an 8×10-inch baking dish with a bit of the olive oil. Set aside.

Heat a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining olive oil and minced garlic into the saucepan. Sauté 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the can of tomatoes, dried oregano, salt, and chopped basil to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes until thickened.

Meanwhile open the tube of polenta (I used sun-dried tomato/basil flavored polenta). Slice the polenta into bite-size pieces. I like to slice julienne-style, but quartering also works well. Thinner is better for this dish. Arrange polenta slices in the prepared baking dish; overlapping is fine.

Spoon warm tomato sauce over and covering the polenta in the baking dish. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, then top with sliced mozzarella. Bake until bubbly and cheese is starting to golden (20-25 minutes). Remove it from the oven and set the dish on a rack. Let it sit 5 minutes then slice into squares and serve with basil garnish.