This is a great tasting recipe I made up while we are moving house to get rid of some odds and ends. So the amounts are really just the amount of each food I had in my cabinets. I used the kind of polenta you buy in a tube and not the meal in a box.
Heat oil in large soup pot. Add garlic and onion. Cook 3-4 minutes.
Add lentils. **Be careful not to burn off all your oil** After about 3 minutes with lentils in pot, add stock OR water for stock cube. (You could put the flavor cube in earlier and season with that, or add it after the water is hot enough to dissolve it.)
Cook this mixture for about 10 minutes, then add carrots. After another 3'ish add mushrooms and pepper. Cook another 2, add chickpeas. Use the italian seasonings to your own likings. I just gave a generous few shakes. (You can add these ingredients closer together, that really has more to do with how soft or crunchy you still want your veggies/beans.)
Simmer this down UNCOVERED. The point here is to reduce the stock to more of a sauce. I just cooked it down and kept stirring every once and a while. Keep some liquid in there so there's some juice to pour over the polenta. Cook until all veggies and lentils are tender.
While it's cooking down, and with about 7-10 minutes left, start heating your oil in a frying pan to pan fry the polenta cakes about 4-5'ish minutes each side.
Serve polenta cakes on a plate and pour the veggie mixture over the top.