The Best Gluten Free Lasagna

This Gluten Free Lasagna is a family favorite. It’s made with homemade meat sauce, a creamy ricotta and herb filling, tender ground beef or turkey, and gluten-free lasagna noodles. 

The Best Gluten-Free Lasagna

This Gluten-Free Lasagna is a comfort food classic we just can’t get enough of! We took my classic homemade meat sauce recipe and layered it in a lasagna with tender gluten-free lasagna noodles, flavorful ground beef or turkey, a creamy ricotta cheese filling, and shredded mozzarella.

This recipe is simple to make, great leftover, and makes for the best easy pasta dinner. This lasagna is so good, no one will know it’s gluten-free!

Ingredients Needed

• Olive Oil: used to sauté the aromatics before making the sauce.
• Aromatics: we’re using minced garlic, diced carrot, and onion to create a flavor base for the tomato sauce.
• Protein: you can use grass-fed beef or turkey, depending on your preference. You can also make a vegetarian and gluten-free lasagna by using a meatless variety of ground beef or leaving the meat out entirely.
• Diced Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce: we’re using canned diced tomatoes and canned tomato sauce as the base for our sauce. 
• Seasonings: take your tomato sauce up a notch with a simple blend of Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and ground pepper.
• Cheese Filling: our cheese filling is made up of ricotta, parmesan, garlic powder, fresh basil, fresh parsley, and eggs.
• Gluten-Free Lasagna Noodles: I like Tinkyada or Jovial. You can find them at any major grocery store in the gluten-free section!  
• Shredded Mozzarella: for topping.

How to Make Gluten-Free Lasagna

This gluten-free lasagna is just as straightforward as any classic lasagna recipe! Bonus: it’s made with homemade meat sauce! 

1. Sauté the aromatics: Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add in garlic and sauté. Add in the onion and carrots and cook until softened.
2. Cook the meat: Add the ground meat of your choice to the saucepan and cook with the aromatics until no pink remains. 
3. Make the sauce: Add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. 
4. Prep the cheese filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, garlic powder, basil, parsley, eggs, and additional salt and pepper. 
5. Prep the noodles: Cook the gluten-free lasagna noodles for two minutes less than instructed.
6. Layer the lasagna: Start with a scoop of meat sauce at the bottom of a 9×13” baking dish. Layer on noodles, cheese filling, additional meat sauce, and shredded mozzarella. Repeat two more times, then top with the rest of the meat sauce and mozzarella. 
7. Bake: Cover the lasagna with foil, place the baking dish onto a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. 

How to Layer a Lasagna

Layering a lasagna doesn’t have to be precise. It can depend on the size and depth of your container. So, while no two lasagnas have to be layered the exact same way, here’s the order in which I like to layer mine for a 9×13” baking dish:

• Meat Sauce
• Noodles
• Ricotta Mixture
• Meat Sauce
• Mozzarella

I repeat the layers in this order three separate times, then top the lasagna off with one more layer of noodles and the rest of the meat sauce and mozzarella.

Do Gluten-Free Lasagna Noodles Taste Different?

Naturally, gluten-free lasagna noodles are not going to have the exact same taste or texture as regular noodles. However, there are varieties of gluten-free noodles that are great alternatives! 

My favorite brands are Tinkyada (number one choice) and Jovial. These can both be found in the gluten-free section at pretty much any major grocery store.

Variations

• Add more veggies. Feel free to bulk up the nutrition in your lasagna by cooking any and all veggies right along with the onion and carrot. Try chopped peppers, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, or even finely chopped broccoli florets. 
• Use another meat. I like to use either ground beef or ground turkey, but feel free to swap either of those out for ground chicken or Italian sausage instead. Keep in mind that any meat with a higher fat content can become greasy when cooked. You may need to drain off the excess grease before adding it to the lasagna. 
• Make vegetarian lasagna. If you don’t want to use meat sauce, swap it out for homemade tomato sauce instead! 

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this gluten-free lasagna with any of your favorite side dishes. 

I love gluten-free garlic bread or breadsticks, air fryer asparagus with lemon and parmesan, oven-baked zucchini fries, or oven-roasted vegetables. 

How to Store

Fridge: Leftover gluten-free lasagna will last in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Frozen: Wrapped in foil and freezer wrap in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven until heated through.

Note: Keep in mind that gluten-free noodles, like other types of pasta, don’t freeze great. If you decide to freeze your lasagna, the texture will be slightly different when thawed!

Is it Better to Freeze Lasagna Cooked or Uncooked?

Assemble everything and instead of baking, wrap tightly and freeze, and then bake when ready! You can freeze pre-cooked, but I prefer it this way!

More freezer tips can be found in my Ultimate Freezer Meals Guide (+ 60 Freezer Recipes) or my Make-Ahead Recipes to Prepare for the Arrival of Baby post!

Reheating From Frozen:

Use within 3-4 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat, covered with foil in a 350ºF until warmed through, 30-40 minutes, and reaches a temperature above 165º.

More Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes to Try

• 20-Minute Fresh Tomato Pasta
• Sausage and Spring Veggie Pasta Salad
• Easy Vodka Sauce (For Pasta Alla Vodka)
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
• Pizza Burrata Pasta

If you don’t want to use meat sauce, and want to make this a meatless lasagna, you can use my homemade tomato sauce instead!

Watch The Video:

The BEST Gluten-Free Lasagna

5 from 10 votes

The BEST Gluten Free Lasagna and truer words haven’t been spoken! We took my classic meat sauce recipe and stepped it up a notch for this easy and delicious gluten free lasagna recipe that everyone will love. We use our favorite gluten-free lasagna rice noodles and nobody knows the difference with this comfort food classic!

Servings 8

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

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• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil divided
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 large organic carrots finely chopped
• 1 pound organic grass-fed beef or ground turkey
• 1 28 oz. can organic diced tomatoes
• 1 28 oz. can organic tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes more to taste
• 1-3/4 teaspoon sea salt divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper divided
• 1 16 oz. container ricotta
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup basil sliced and divided
• 1/3 cup parsley picked and chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 10 oz. packages of gluten-free lasagna noodles
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

• In a medium sized saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
• Add onion and carrots to saucepan. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften.
• Add meat to saucepan and let cook until no pink remains, about 7 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the pan and combine.
• Bring tomato sauce to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. The longer you can let simmer, the better! Taste and adjust spices as desired then remove from heat.
• Meanwhile prepare ricotta mixture in a medium bowl by combining ricotta, parmesan, garlic powder, 3/4 cup basil, parsley, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
• Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
• Prepare gluten-free lasagna noodles 2 minutes less than instructed to cook on package. Drain well and immediately begin assembling lasagna.
• In a 9″ x 13″ oven-safe container begin layering lasagna starting with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce on the bottom. Then place one layer of noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat with noodle, ricotta, meat and cheese layers two more times. Place the last layer of noodles on top (for a total of 4 layers of noodles), and then add the remaining meat sauce and mozzarella. (See note about alternative preparation)
• Cover with aluminum foil and place lasagna in oven on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and golden in spots.
• Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Alternatively, you can prepare this in two square 8″ oven-safe dishes to have one to bake fresh and one for the freezer to bake for another day. You will have to use slightly less of the ricotta cheese mixture for each layer to get 4 layers for each 8″ pan to get enough for both. To bake the frozen: defrost in the refrigerate overnight and bake as directed in step 10.

Nutrition

Calories: 541kcalCarbohydrates: 69.9gProtein: 31.2gFat: 17.4gSaturated Fat: 4.4gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 740mgFiber: 5.2gSugar: 9.4g

Author: Lexi

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