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!
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This Gluten Free Vegetarian Lasagna is healthy comfort food at its finest!While I grew up celebrating Hanukkah, my extended family celebrated Christmas and
- 4 to 5 cups of your favorite marinara sauce see NOTES
- 1 9 ounce box gluten free no cook Lasagna Noodles (see NOTES)
- 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 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 thinly sliced
- 2 medium cloves garlic crushed
- pinch salt and pepper
- 1 pound whole milk mozzarella thinly sliced
- 1/4 pound grated Locatelli or Pecorino Romano
Mix ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, parsley, black pepper and red pepper together until well combined.
Clean mushrooms and thinly slice.
Slice mozzarella with a
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.
Remove from heat, drain well (really press the water out!) and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line up lasagna noodles, marinara, ricotta cheese mixture, drained veggies, sliced mozzarella and grated cheese.
Begin assembling by spreading 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of your baking dish.
Add one layer of uncooked noodles (about 3 to 4 noodles / noodle pieces).
Use a spatula to spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles.
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.
Add layer of uncooked noodles (about 3 to 4 noodles / noodle pieces). Top with 1 1/2 cups of marinara.
Use a spatula to spread remaining 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles.
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.
Add remaining noodles / noodle pieces. Cover with 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, remaining sliced mozzarella and remaining veggie mixture.
Sprinkle generously with remaining grated cheese.
Loosely cover with tin foil (you do not want the foil to get stuck to the cheese!) and bake for 45 minutes.%http://www.everydaymaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_2277.jpg
Remove foil and continue baking uncovered for an additional 45 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly.
- 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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Can you use gluten free noodles that are boiled first? Should this be cooked 45 min covered and 45 min uncovered
Hey Kathy! If you use already cooked noodles, I would do 30 minutes covered and 30 uncovered. Enjoy!
can we add more varieties of of vegetables without compromising texture?
We are going to try this recipe for the first time, but would like to add more vegetables, like maybe peppers and zucchini, or broccoli. Is that possible, or would this run the risk of making it too runny?
Hey Chris! You can totally add more veggies but I highly recommend cooking them first and straining any excess liquid or it will ruin the texture and make the lasagna runny. Also, keep in mind that certain veggies aren’t that good if they are too overcooked (like broccoli).
Would love to make and freeze(uncooked) is this possible? And then thaw and cook. Suggestions?
Yes! I have done this but I cook from frozen instead of defrosting. Just start at 325/350 and then turn the temp up once it’s mostly defrosted. Enjoy!
Can I use fresh spinach & how much? Thank you.
Hi Linda,
Yes, but you need to saute it first to get the water out! You will probably need at least 3 to 4 pounds of fresh spinach to saute to get 1 lb of “cooked” spinach.
Easy to make. Came out tasting great. A couple of tweaks to fit my family’s preferences: Used zuchinni instead of mushrooms and added some pesto to the marinara sauce. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
You’re so welcome!LOVE the idea of adding pesto to the sauce!
This looks delicious, and I plan on trying it for the holiday dinner. Quick question.
I notice that your second layer advises to put marinara on the noodles BEFORE the remaining 1/2 of the ricotta. Won’t it be hard to spread the ricotta on marinara? Should the marinara not go over the veggie mixture for the second layer?
Thank you.
Hey Karen! It just mixes together – this is one of the secrets of keeping moisture in the layers. How did it come out!?
I had a group of friends from work coming over for Saturday lunch and wasn’t sure what to cook as 2 of my friends are gluten free. It was perfect! with green salad and Gluten free Potato Bake. I live in Queensland, Australia (down under) so this is a great dish for us all year round!
Thanks again,
Ali
Yay!! So happy to hear this Ali – thanks for taking the time to comment!
How would you change the recipe if using fresh lasagna noodles? Cook first or not
Hi Maddy, I would NOT cook them first!
Can I prepare, cook and freeze in advance and if so, can you give me instructions on reheating?
Hi Marjorie! Yes, you can but make sure you have extra sauce available when you reheat it. I would cover with tinfoil and place in a 325F oven for a good 75 to 90 minutes. Once it’s thawed and warm in the center, remove the foil and continue reheating until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
I could not find Jovial gluten free lasagna noodles within 50 miles of my home so I bought another brand. Can I used them uncooked in your recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Gayle! Jovial does sell them online (for next time!). Every brand is so different – my recommendation is to follow the cooking instructions on the box. How did it come out?
This is the best. My girls are vegetarian and my daughter is gluten free. I am the father and used to grille out chicken and ribs. This gives me a way to feed them something I can cook. They love it. I do some hot sausage for myself and everyone is happy thanks for the recipe.
That is so great Don!! Love this feedback and I’m so happy that your family loves this recipe 🙂
Can you make this the day before and keep in fridge, then pop it in the oven? It sounds perfect for our Christmas Eve celebration – as I now have a GF and a vegetarian to serve!
Hi Mimi!Absolutely. I would cover with tinfoil and reheat on 325F until warm in the center. maybe another sprinkle of cheese at the end and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes. Also, use an extra cup of sauce when you make it so it doesn’t dry out when reheating!
Can you assemble this the day before, but save the baking for the next day? Or will noodles get soggy? Thanks!
Absolutely! I do this all the time and have never had a problem Marilyn. I do recommend having a little extra sauce on hand though in case it absorbs and you need to add a bit before or during baking. Enjoy!
hi there! if i were to freeze this, what do you recommend I do to reheat – temperature, time, etc?
thank you!
Hi Beth! Are you planning on cooking it first and then freezing it OR preparing it and freezing before baking?
I don’t eat dairy (eggs, cheese, milk)
I have cheese substitute but what about eggs and milk?
– any suggestions substitutes?
Would their be any significant changes if I used zucchini as noodles instead of gluten free noodles?
Hey Julia,
Yes – big time. This recipe has way more liquid than you would want to use for a zucchini noodle lasagna.
Try adding a bit of lemon zest to the Ricotta and Marinara sauce — you don’t taste the lemon but it’s amazing how much lighter and fresher a little lemon can make most things taste.
Also delicious with a Béchamel or Alfredo sauce.
This is excellent. I add basil to the ricotta.
Yes!! Such a great idea Liz. 🙂
Great sounding recipe. I plan to make this for my vegetarian son. All of my family enjoys the meat-less meals too. Best of the holiday season to you and family.
Hope he loves it James! Happy Holidays 🙂
looks amazing…any substitute for mushrooms – won’t eat them…
Christina
Hi Christina!
How about roasted peppers?
LOVE Italian for Christmas Eve. We often do fish/seafood. Or pasta. Or often both! So this would be a perfect dish for us. Thanks. And Happy holidays!
Happy Holidays to you and Mrs. K.R. !!