CONCORD, N.H. — Much as I try, I just can't get my wife to eat polenta. She says it's a texture thing.

I, on the other hand, will eat polenta — essentially boiled cornmeal, often spiked with Parmesan cheese — any way. It usually comes soft or firm.

On its own, polenta really isn't all that exciting. It's what you do with it.

Soft polenta often is served with marinara sauce pooled over it. Firm polenta is wonderful cut into squares, drizzled with olive oil and tossed on the grill.

But because of my wife, I've mostly stopped tinkering with it. That is, until I saw the June issue of Gourmet magazine, which featured a recipe for slices of firm polenta baked with tomato sauce and cheese.

It gave me an idea even my wife would love — polenta lasagna. The Gourmet recipe calls for layers of firm polenta slices topped with tomato sauce and cheese, and baked.

I wanted to make it more of a meal, and to add enough cheese so my wife would overcome her aversion to the main ingredient.

Though prepared firm polenta (sold in shelf-stable plastic tubes) doesn't taste as good as fresh, it's perfect for this dish and saves time.

I also stuck with jarred tomato sauce. As for cheese, I not only used more than the original recipe, but added a third variety — ricotta.

I needed something healthy, too. Chopped frozen spinach was just the thing. And for a meaty touch, ground sausage (vegetarians could substitute soy "ground meat").

While it didn't make a polenta fan of my wife, she did like the dish overall.

POLENTA LASAGNA