low-cal meatless feeds a crowd quick

vegetable casserole

►make ahead up to 12 hours

Prep: 20 minutes Chill: up to 12 hours Cook: 4 to 6 hours (low) or 2 to 2½ hours (high) Stand: 5 minutes Makes: 8 servings

• 2 19-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 19-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or fava beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
• ¼ cup basil pesto
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 16-ounce package refrigerated cooked plain polenta, cut in ½-inch-thick slices
• 2 cups finely shredded Italian blend cheeses (8 ounces)
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup torn radicchio
• 1 tablespoon water

1. Place a disposable slow cooker liner in a 4- to 5-quart ceramic slow cooker liner. In a large bowl combine beans, onion, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, the garlic, and Italian seasoning. Layer half of the bean mixture, half of the polenta, and half of the cheese in the disposable liner. Add remaining beans mixture and polenta. Using a twist tie, close the disposable liner. Place the ceramic liner in the refrigerator overnight. (To serve today, cover and cook as directed in Step 2.)

2. Place ceramic liner in the slow cooker. Remove the twist tie from the disposable liner. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2½ hours. Add tomato, the remaining cheese, the spinach, and radicchio. In a small bowl combine the remaining 2 tablespoons pesto and the 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle pesto mixture over casserole. Let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes before serving.

Per serving: 360 cal., 12 g fat (6 g sat. fat), 26 mg chol., 926 mg sodium, 46 g carb., 10 g fiber, 21 g pro.