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!
- 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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Hi Alyssa, I LOVE this recipe, and so does everyone who tries it. So much so, that my niece who is having a baby tomorrow has asked for me to fill her freezer with it 🙂 Can you please give me cooking instructions for heating this up if it is already cooked and then frozen? I am making it for her in 8×8 pans so she can reheat smaller amounts. Thank you!
Hi Linda, So happy to hear this! Congrats to your niece – that is so thoughtful of you to fill her freezer like that. I recommend cooking the lasagna, cooling completely, freezing. When ready to serve, do not defrost, preheat oven to 350F. bake covered with tinfoil for 1 hour (or until middle is warmed through). Once warmed through, remove tin foil and bake for 15 to 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling but not brown. Also, serve with a little extra sauce on the side!