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Home Β» Main Course Β» Gluten-Free Vegetarian Lasagna (Noodle Recommendations)

April 9, 2023

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Lasagna (Noodle Recommendations)

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Janet Harlow
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This gluten-free vegetarian lasagna is super simple but bursting with flavors of fresh herbs and lots of cheesy goodness. Recommendations for gluten-free lasagna noodles (including oven-ready lasagna sheets) are included.

Be sure to check out more of my gluten-free dinner recipes including my comforting gluten-free shepherd’s pie with creamed corn and one-pot vegan chickpea stew.

Gluten-Free Lasagna Sheets/Noodles

There are 2 excellent gluten-free pasta brands that make lasagna noodles. Barilla and Jovial are my go-to brands for pasta. They cook up al dente and don’t get mushy or sticky. You should be able to find one in your grocery store.

Size-wise, I am a little puzzled. Just about every lasagna recipe uses a 9×13 inch pan yet the noodles don’t seem sized for one.

Close up of slice of gluten free lasagna with fresh basil garnish on white plate. Wood board with fresh basil in back right. Plate with lasagna in back right. Gray napkin in right front.

Barilla Lasagna Noodles

Oven ready noodles are dry and EXPAND as they cook. So they need some space around them to expand. The Barilla sheets are a little wide to fit 3 across and still leave space around them. So you can either overlap the long sides a little or trim 2 of them to make them narrower. Just pinch and break off small pieces.

Overhead view of gluten free lasagna noodles in metal pan.
Overhead view of Barilla gluten free lasagna sheets in metal pan.

The Barilla noodles cook up al dente and tasty. For the ease of use these are my preference.

Jovial Lasagna Noodles

I am puzzled by the size of the Jovial lasagna noodles. The box says to lay out 4 sheets per layer (in a 9×13 pan). The length of the sheets are not consistent and some are much shorter. This leaves much of the pan uncovered and they don’t break easily to trim and add pieces.

I generally like Jovial products quite a bit, but the inconsistency of the noodles is a kind of a deal breaker for me.

Overhead view of Jovial gluten-free lasagna noodles in metal pan.

Ingredients

Marinara sauce – It is absolutely okay to use jarred marinara sauce. Making lasagna is a long process and I am all for making it quicker and easier. But I find that most jarred marinara sauces are way too salty. If you use a lot of prepared foods, you may be okay with this. If not, The Silver Palate makes an excellent low-sodium marinara sauce. It still has lots of flavor and a reasonable level of salt.

Tomato paste helps to thicken the marinara which can be too watery for lasagna.

Low-sodium broth – A little bit of broth helps to incorporate the tomato paste. Since lasagna has a lot of salt ingredients already, I recommend a low-sodium broth,

Overhead view of gluten free lasagna in ceramic baking dish. Spatula pulling slice from dish. Knife above and gray and white napkin below. Wood board with fresh basil in upper right.

Ricotta cheese – If you have made lasagna before, you may notice that this recipe uses double the amount of ricotta than other recipes. With the usual 16 oz. of ricotta in a 9×13 lasagna, it turns out to be a dish that is mostly noodles with a little filling. I prefer more filling than noodles.

I tested this recipe with part-skim and whole milk ricotta cheese. There was definitely a big difference. The lasagna made with whole milk ricotta was richer, tastier and more satisfying. The part-skim version was lacking in flavor and more herbs didn’t make enough of a difference.

Mozzarella cheese – Unlike the ricotta, you can use part skim or whole milk. Either one will work. I highly recommend using store bought shredded mozzarella. It will make quick work of this recipe. The shredded mozzarella will be layered with the ricotta, sauce, noodles and parmesan.

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese – Both of these are dry cheeses with an awesome tangy umami flavor. Use whichever one you prefer. Some will mix in with the ricotta to amp up the ricotta. The rest will will be sprinkled on the layers,

Dried Italian seasoning adds concentrated herb flavor to the ricotta cheese mixture.

Lasagna is full of salty ingredients and needs a fresh element to it. So lots of chopped fresh basil is added to the ricotta mixture.

Just a little bit of salt and pepper bring out out all the other flavors in the lasagna.

Gluten free lasagna in ceramic pan. Spatula with slice of lasagna above pan. Stack of white plates and wood board with fresh basil in background.
Overhead view of gluten free lasagna in ceramic baking dish. Spatula pulling slice from dish. Knife on left and gray and white napkin on right. Wood board with fresh basil in upper left.

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Lasagna (Noodle Recommendations)

Author: Janet Harlow
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American/Italian
Servings: 12 slices
This gluten-free vegetarian lasagna is super simple but bursting with flavors of fresh herbs and lots of cheesy goodness. Recommendations for gluten-free lasagna noodles (including oven-ready lasagna sheets) are included.
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Resting 15 minutes mins

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1/4 c low sodium vegetable broth (Imagine No-Chicken Broth recommended)
  • 5Β½ c (about two 32 oz jars) marinara sauce, Silver Palate Low Sodium Recommended
  • 2 lb (32 oz) ricotta cheese, whole milk highly recommended
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1Β½ lbs shredded mozzarella cheese, part-skim or whole milk
  • 8 oz shredded or grated parmesan or romano cheese
  • 15 large leaves of fresh basil
  • 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
  • Β½ tsp salt (use ΒΌ tsp if not using a low sodium marinara)
  • 3 pinches black pepper
  • 2 boxes Barilla gluten-free lasagna sheets

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease a 9×13 inch pan lightly with oil – especially the sides and corners. Cheese is STICKY!
  • NOTE: I prefer Barilla gluten-free lasagna noodles for their ease of use. Jovial GF Lasagna noodles can be used too, but I recommend parboiling them for 4 minutes and then trimming pieces to make it cover the bottom of the pan.
    Overhead view of ingredients for gluten free lasagna.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the tomato paste, broth together until smooth and combined.
    Overhead view of glass mixing bowl with tomato paste and broth being mixed.
  • Add the marinara sauce and whisk to combine.
    Overhead view of glass mixing bowl with tomato sauce being mixed.
  • Stack the basil leaves and roll vertically. Slice into thin ribbons (chiffonade).
    Overhead view of wood board with chopped basil leaves.
  • To another large mixing bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, 1/2 c of the parmesan cheese, the basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
    Overhead view of glass mixing bowl with ricotta, parmesan, basil, eggs and seasoning.
  • Mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork until well combined.
    Overhead view of ricotta cheese mixture in glass bowl being mixed with a whisk.
  • Spread one cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan
    Overhead view of lasagna pan with marinara sauce spread on bottom.
  • Dry, oven ready lasagna noodles will expand during cooking. So it's best to leave some space around them.
  • The Barilla noodles are a little wide and will need to overlap if used as is. You can lay them out as pictured below (away from the sides of the pan), or
    Overhead view of gluten free lasagna noodles in metal pan.
  • Gently break off some of 2 of the sheets to narrow them.
    Overhead view of Barilla gluten free lasagna sheets in metal pan.
  • Add a layer of noodles.
    Overhead view of lasagna pan with marinara and gluten free lasagna noodles.
  • Spread 1 cup of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.
    Overhead view of lasagna pan with layer of ricotta mixture.
  • Top with 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella and 1/4 c parmesan.
    Overhead view of lasagna pan with layer of grated parm and shredded mozzarella on top.
  • Spread 1 cup of marinara evenly.
    Overhead view of lasagna pan with layer of marinara sauce on top.
  • Place another layer of noodles on top and repeat steps 7-9.
    Overhead view of lasagna pan with a layer of gluten free lasagna noodles on top.
  • Add another layer of noodles and repeat steps 7-9 again.
  • The final layer is a little different. Add one more layer of noodles, ricotta and sauce.
  • Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
    Overhead view of unbaked gluten free lasagna in metal pan.
  • Cover the pan with tin foil. Be sure the foil is not touching the cheese.
    Overhead view of lasagna pan covered with foil.
  • Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more.
  • Remove from the oven and let the pan sit uncovered, for 15 minutes to rest before cutting and serving.
  • This lasagna can stay fresh in the refrigerator for about one week.
  • To freeze: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil – this will help prevent freezer burn. It can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how it was! Tag @chefjanetk on Instagram.
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Posted In: Main Course · Tagged: casserole, pasta

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