Gluten-Free Lasagna tastes authentic! Comforting, cheesy lasagna prepared with gluten-free noodles.
I knew things would be fine the first time I ate gluten-free lasagna after my Celiac Disease diagnosis. It had been years since my last hot and cheesy scoop, and I felt like a desert wanderer given a jug of water. I felt the powerful combination of cheese, beef, noodles, and sauce in my veins.
Seriously, if you can eat lasagna while gluten-free, what’s to complain about? Especially when it’s manufactured from a few common items and tastes like the real thing? This recipe is delicious!
Making Gluten-Free Lasagna
The #1 gluten-free lasagna secret is using gluten-free noodles. That was the only change I made to my family’s lasagna recipe to make it gluten-free.
Gluten-free lasagna noodles didn’t appear in my local grocery stores until a few years ago. GF pasta is now widely accessible, and there are various lasagna noodle options.
However…
Best Gluten-Free Lasagna
This recipe uses my favorite gluten-free lasagna noodle, but I also provide a couple additional options:
I like Jovial Gluten-Free Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles. They’re sturdy, chewy, and parboiled and cooked well.
No-Boil/Oven-Ready Noodles: I used Barilla Gluten Free Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles for my first gluten-free lasagna. Great lasagna. The second time I used them, my lasagna was half-cooked, with hard and soft noodles. The third (and final) time I used them, too. Personally, I think no-boil lasagna noodles are uneven.
Fresh Lasagna Sheets: Capello’s Gluten Free Lasagna Sheets formed a wonderful lasagna. However, fresh lasagna products are too pricey for weekly lasagna night.
Jovial’s Brown Rice Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles yield the best texture and consistency in my gluten-free lasagna recipe. They will be parboiled before being added to lasagna.
Required Ingredients for Meat Sauce Layer:
Lean ground beef is best, but use what you have.
Garlic and onion or shallot: Warm, savory flavor.
Gluten free marinara sauce: Lasagna is easy, but it takes plenty of love. Use bottled marinara or spaghetti sauce instead of handmade with tomato sauce, italian seasoning, tomato paste, etc. to save time. Make it gluten-free. I like Gino’s (local brand), Bove’s, and Rao’s slow-cooked flavor without the effort.
Ricotta Cheese Layer:
I like full-fat ricotta for its richness and creaminess.
To maintain the cheese layer spreadable but firm, I increased the grated parmesan to replace eggs.
Herbs & spices: Dried parsley flakes, pepper, and salt taste cheese.
Ingredients left:
Gluten-free lasagna noodles: see above!
Without shredded mozzarella cheese, lasagna is incomplete.
Gluten-Free Lasagna Making Overview
This is a quick overview of my easy gluten-free lasagna, which I’ll explain below:
Step 1: Parboil, drain, and rinse gluten-free noodles under cool water. Arrange the noodles on a baking sheet between saran wrap and set aside.
Step 2: Brown ground beef and mix with canned marinara or spaghetti sauce.
Step 3: Mix the ricotta and parmesan cheese and place it in a gallon Ziplock bag to layer on the noodles.
Step 4: Layer, foil, and bake. Continue baking until golden and bubbling without foil.
Gluten-Free Lasagna Variations
I strongly advise against overthinking lasagna. Imagine your grandmother cooking this. Would she add a little of this or that if she wanted? Yes, she would! You should too.
Besides the gluten-free noodles, you can customize this dish. Some ideas:
Change the meat: Increase flavor with half ground beef and half Italian sausage.
Layer sautéed vegetables. Sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and sliced zucchini with loads of fresh garlic sounds delicious!
Using part-skim ricotta and/or 2% milk mozzarella cheese makes lasagna less fat. Ground turkey can replace ground beef.
Change the cheese: Do you dislike ricotta? Replace with equal cottage cheese. First, drain carefully in a fine mesh sieve.
I guarantee your best gluten-free lasagna, whether it’s your first or 50th!
Making Gluten-Free Lasagna
Find gluten-free lasagna noodles and canned marinara or spaghetti sauce for the meat sauce.
I use Jovial Brown Rice Gluten-Free Lasagna Noodles again. Bove’s, Rao’s, and Gino’s (local spaghetti sauce is less spicy than marinara) are our favorite jarred sauces.
Step 1: Make noodles
Parboil lasagna noodles according to the package. Jovial recommends parboiling for 4 minutes before draining. However, their lasagna recipe differs from mine, so I parboil them for 5 minutes.
Drain the lasagna noodles, rinse under cold water until cool, then place them in a single layer on a saran warp-covered baking sheet. Use saran wrap between noodles to prevent sticking. Wrap the top with saran wrap and put aside.
Step 2: Make Meat Sauce
Combine ground beef, chopped onion or shallot, pressed or minced fresh cloves garlic, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown, breaking it up. Drain and return the meat mixture to the skillet after turning off the heat.
Stir canned, gluten-free marinara or spaghetti sauce into the skillet and let cool.
Step 3: Mix Ricotta Cheese
Mix ricotta cheese, freshly grated parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. I enjoy Belgioso ricotta.
Scoop the mixture into a gallon Ziplock bag, squeeze out the air, seal, and cut a corner. This helps pour the mixture onto lasagna noodles and spread evenly.
In Step 4, layer the lasagna and assemble. Use cooking spray to coat a 9×13 baking dish.
Layering Gluten-Free Lasagna
Put 3/4 cup meat sauce in the baking pan. It doesn’t have to cover the bottom—we only need a thin layer to keep the noodles from sticking/burning.
Lay 3 noodles width-wise on the bottom. Three noodles for the first layer, 3 noodles + 1/2 of another noodle divided in half widthwise for the second and third layers.
Spread 1/3 ricotta mixture on noodles. Pipe the mixture into the center of each noodle and spread with a spoon or offset spatula to thin.
Spoon 1/3 of the remaining beef sauce on top. Create an even layer.
Top with shredded mozzarella.
Repeat noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, meat sauce, and shredded cheese twice more for three layers.
Boom!
Step 5: Bake
Cover the lasagna with nonstick foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Continue baking for 20–25 minutes without foil until the top is deep golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
Like this. (DROOL)
Wait at least 15 minutes before slicing the gluten-free lasagna into squares and serving on plates.
This is a great dish to offer to your family, but we regularly cook lasagna for friends and family who are in need, whether they just had a baby, have family issues, or moved. A family favorite, this dish shows you care.
Gluten-Free Lasagna FAQ: Store and Reheat Leftovers?
Let the leftover lasagna cool, then cover and refrigerate the baking dish (or slice it into squares and store in an airtight container). Cover individual servings with a microwave-safe bowl or dish and heat until hot.
Make this ahead?
Individually, you may make the beef sauce and ricotta cheese mixture several days ahead. Wait to parboil the noodles before baking. You may also assemble the gluten-free lasagne 24 hours before baking. If the dish is cold, let it lie on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. Increase foil-covered baking time by 10 minutes.
Can Gluten-Free Lasagna Freeze?
Do not freeze cheese-based soups, rice-based foods, or gluten-free pasta dishes because they don’t reheat properly. The texture of baked gluten-free lasagna can be frozen without significant change.
After cooling, divide the lasagna into individual portions and store in freezer-safe containers. Freeze after chilling completely. Reheat in the microwave after 24 hours in the fridge.
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