This Gluten Free Vegetarian Lasagna is healthy comfort food at its finest!
While I grew up celebrating Hanukkah, my extended family celebrated Christmas and we were lucky enough to be included in those celebrations year after year. My Italian aunt always made a huge spread for Christmas dinner. There was usually a roasted turkey or ham but alongside that was stuffed shells, manicotti, Sunday gravy with pork and meatballs and insane amounts of cheese, cured meats, crackers, bread-sticks and cookies of every kind.
It was truly a feast and it was amazing. Over the years as my husband and I have developed our own holiday traditions, one that has stuck is a big Italian meal on Christmas Eve and it’s slowly but surely evolved to be a rich and comforting lasagna.
I’ll usually make a half and half (half vegetarian / half sausage) lasagna but this year decided to go with an all-vegetarian version. If you have meat lovers at your table, you can always serve some browned Italian sausage on the side, but, I don’t even think you need it.
One big square of this and a nice green salad and you will be in holiday comfort food heaven.
NOTES:
- There are many good brands of Gluten Free pasta out there but I really love Jovial Foods texture and taste the best.
- Make sure you do not reduce the amount of sauce as some of it is absorbed by the noodles as they cook (since we are not pre-cooking them!).
- You need a 9 x 13 glass baking dish or other casserole style baking dish.
- I recommend you use organic frozen spinach (it’s cheaper and easier!).
- Once cooked and cooled, this freezes great!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This Gluten Free Vegetarian Lasagna is healthy comfort food at its finest!
- 4 to 5 cups of your favorite marinara sauce see NOTES
- 1 9-ounce package gluten free no cook Lasagna Noodles (see NOTES)
- 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound frozen organic chopped spinach
- 8 ounces mushrooms stems trimmed and sliced
- 2 medium garlic cloves crushed
- pinch salt and pepper
- 1 pound whole milk mozzarella thinly sliced
- 1/4 pound grated Locatelli or Pecorino Romano
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Mix ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, parsley, black pepper and red pepper together until well combined.
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Clean mushrooms and thinly slice.
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Slice mozzarella with a cheese knife or sharp knife and set aside.
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Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and then sliced mushrooms, frozen spinach, crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, using a spatula or wooden spoon to break up spinach, until warmed through and there is liquid pooling in the pan.
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Remove from heat, drain well (really press the water out!) and set aside.
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Preheat oven to 350F. Line up lasagna noodles, marinara, ricotta cheese mixture, drained veggies, sliced mozzarella and grated cheese.
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Begin assembling by spreading 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of your baking dish.
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Add one layer of uncooked noodles (about 3 to 4 noodles / noodle pieces).
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Use a spatula to spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles.
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Sprinkle 1/3 of the drained veggie mixture. Spread 1 cup of marinara over the veggies and top with 1/3 of the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese.
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Add layer of uncooked noodles (about 3 to 4 noodles / noodle pieces). Top with 1 1/2 cups of marinara.
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Use a spatula to spread remaining 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles.
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Sprinkle 1/3 of the drained veggie mixture. Top with 1/3 of the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese.
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Add remaining noodles / noodle pieces. Cover with 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, remaining sliced mozzarella and remaining veggie mixture.
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Sprinkle generously with remaining grated cheese.
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Loosely cover with tin foil (you do not want the foil to get stuck to the cheese) and bake for 45 minutes.
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Remove foil and continue baking uncovered for an additional 45 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly.
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Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into 8 large or 12 medium pieces, serve warm and Enjoy!
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This recipe is fantastic! It has become a Christmas staple in our house. Everyone asks for it every year. Thank you!!
Happy New Year Linda!! Love hearing that – makes my day to have my recipe be part of your family traditions <3
Can you cook and then freeze?
Hi Liz,
Yes! I like to add a bit of extra sauce when reheating or serving though!
Tell me do….I just put mine in the oven and realized that the brown rice lasagna noodles aren’t cooked. Lol! This happened probably because I just finished a meat last with no cook noodles!!! Help!
Hi Sharon,
The noodles might be gummy in some parts / not cooked in others (especially because they are brown rice). Usually when you make a baked lasagna with “regular” meaning not no-cook noodles, you have to adjust the liquid and/or sauce to accommodate for the noodles cooking in the oven and and expanding. Honestly, it still might come out good so just continue cooking. Cut a little piece when the foil-covered cooking time is up and see if the noodles are tender. If it’s too dry, add some more sauce and adjust covered cooking time by 10 min increments. Good luck – I hope it works out!
I cannot find anywhere where it says what temperature to bake this at?
Hi Mychele!
In step 1. of “assemble and cook”, it says to preheat the oven to 350F. I hope you love it!
Can you freeze this before you cook?
Yes! You will have to adjust the cook time though to cook it from frozen.
How much extra time would you need from frozen?
Hi Julia, I am so sorry for the delay on this comment – it went to spam. Ugh!! Did you ever make it from frozen and did it work out?
Hello? Does this go to your email? How much longer from frozen please! I’m cooking it tomorrow! Thank you!
HI!
can you use sour cream in place of the ricotta??
Hi Cindy, Sour cream has a much different consistency, you could try it but it might be runny and not as easy to cut or serve.
We left the eggs out and it was still perfect. Amazing recipe.
That is so wonderful to hear! Glad it worked great without the eggs 🙂
Hello, can I use the lasagna noodles that need to be cooked with this?
Absolutely – you just need to cook them first!
Fabulous! Everyone I make this for LOVES it, whether gluten-free or vegetarian. I add Beyond Meat Hot Italian Sausage.
Hi Betsey! Thank you so much – I love that it works well with the Beyond sausage!!
I am one of those strange people that do not like ricotta cheese. It’s a texture thing for me . Can cottage cheese be substituted ? Or is there another suggestion?
Hi Cindy, I haven’t tried this with any substitutions for the ricotta cheese. You could try using a thin layer of ricotta so it just works to keep the noodles moist and winds up cooking into the sauce. Just use a spatula to evenly spread it out very thinly. Hope that helps!
This recipe was amazing! I followed it exactly and the gluten free noodles weren’t soggy or sticky at all! I think I may add more veggies next time, but I wouldn’t make any other changes.
Hi Alex! So happy to hear it – I often add more / different veggies as well!!
Hi Cindy, I have made this lasagna three times since the Mave published the recipe last year this time. It’s a family favorite even with my (adult) son who won’t go anywhere near ricotta. So, I 2nd Alyssa’s suggestion or even better use the printed version to get the necessary liquid for the noodles. Good Luck!
Thank you for this delicous recipe. I look forward to trying your other recipes.
Hi Lydia! So happy to hear you liked it and welcome <3