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!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Kathy says
Can you use gluten free noodles that are boiled first? Should this be cooked 45 min covered and 45 min uncovered
Alyssa Brantley says
Hey Kathy! If you use already cooked noodles, I would do 30 minutes covered and 30 uncovered. Enjoy!
Chris says
can we add more varieties of of vegetables without compromising texture?
Chris says
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?
Alyssa Brantley says
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).
Stacy says
Would love to make and freeze(uncooked) is this possible? And then thaw and cook. Suggestions?
Alyssa Brantley says
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!
Linda says
Can I use fresh spinach & how much? Thank you.
Alyssa Brantley says
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.
CP says
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.
Alyssa Brantley says
You’re so welcome!LOVE the idea of adding pesto to the sauce!
Karen says
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.
EverydayMaven says
Hey Karen! It just mixes together – this is one of the secrets of keeping moisture in the layers. How did it come out!?
Ali Telesz says
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
EverydayMaven says
Yay!! So happy to hear this Ali – thanks for taking the time to comment!
Maddy says
How would you change the recipe if using fresh lasagna noodles? Cook first or not
EverydayMaven says
Hi Maddy, I would NOT cook them first!
Marjorie says
Can I prepare, cook and freeze in advance and if so, can you give me instructions on reheating?
EverydayMaven says
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.