Gluten Free Lasagna is an Italian American classic comfort food with layers of flavorful, creamy ricotta cheese, gooey mozzarella, rich marinara sauce, and gluten free lasagna noodles. This is the best gluten free lasagna recipe – everyone loves it! It’s perfect for Sunday dinner or can be the centerpiece at your next holiday party!
When it comes to holiday food memories, I immediately think of lasagna – it was and still is the centerpiece at every family Thanksgiving, Christmas, and sometimes Easter dinner. Everyone would get in line and patiently wait for their hot gooey piece of lasagna.
After being diagnosed with Celiac, I knew perfecting a delicious gluten free lasagna recipe would be important if I wanted to continue enjoying our Italian holiday food traditions.
This is the best gluten-free lasagna, and I make it every year for the holidays. It pairs well with gluten-free garlic bread and a gluten free caesar salad. Other gluten-free Italian recipes I love putting on a party menu include gluten-free baked ziti, gluten-free chicken parmesan, and the best Sunday sauce.
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Reasons you’ll love this recipe.
- Everyone loves it! Everyone raves about this gluten free lasagna recipe, from Sunday dinners to potluck parties! Even kids go in for seconds. And nobody knows it’s gluten free.
- Easy gluten free recipe. To prepare lasagna gluten-free, all you have to do is use gluten-free lasagna noodles and make sure the other ingredients don’t contain any hidden gluten. I’ll give more tips in the ingredient section.
- Easy to prepare. After you cook the noodles and make the ricotta filling, all you need to do is layer everything together and bake.
- Make-ahead. Don’t worry about the extra effort because you can make this Italian classic ahead of time. I’ll go over some tips below.
Ingredients
Gluten free lasagna noodles. Jovial Brown Rice Gluten-Free Lasagna Noodles are my favorite brand to use. They have great flavor, and even after baking in the oven, the gluten-free noodles still have a nice texture. Keep in mind that these noodles only come in a 9-ounce box, which is enough for a 9 x13 pan of lasagna that has a bottom, middle, and top layer. However, if you want a bigger pan of lasagna, you’ll need to purchase an extra box. You can find Jovial lasagna noodles in most major grocery stores in the gluten-free section. Of course, your favorite gluten-free pasta brand.
Ingredient note: I haven’t used no-boil gluten-free lasagna noodles in this recipe, so I can only recommend regular gluten free lasagna noodles. However, if you want to give an oven-ready noodle a try then a lot of readers recommend barilla gluten free oven ready lasagna noodles.
Whole-milk ricotta. Plain ricotta cheese is made with milk, so it’s naturally gluten free, but always read labels to make sure. I suggest using whole-milk ricotta because low-fat or skim ricotta could have other gluten ingredients.
Whole milk mozzarella cheese is the best choice for flavor and delicious creaminess. I suggest purchasing blocks of mozzarella and shredding it fresh. If you use pre-shredded mozzarella, read the label to ensure there’s no gluten.
Grated Parmesan cheese or romano cheese adds fantastic flavor to the creamy ricotta. It’s best to purchase a hunk of cheese and grate it fresh for the best results. You can get great prices on blocks of high-quality parmesan cheese at BJ’s wholesale or your local wholesale store.
Seasoning mix. Ricotta cheese is milder in flavor, so I blend onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to create a tasty ricotta filling for the lasagna.
Egg helps add body and structure to the ricotta filling as it cooks in the lasagna.
Marinara sauce. I often use this homemade gluten free marinara sauce, but any pasta sauce will work in this recipe. I recommend Rao’s, Thrive Market Sicilian Gracy, or any high-quality jarred sauce for a gluten-free jarred sauce. Of course, always read labels to ensure it’s gluten-free. You will need around 3 cups sauce and more if you want to add sauce after it cooks.
Supplies
- Large mixing bowl to make the ricotta filling.
- Box grater to shred the mozzarella and parmesan cheese
- 9 x 13 ceramic baking dish.
How to Make Gluten Free Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Start by cooking gluten-free lasagna noodles. Add salt to a large pot of water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the noodles in the water and move around until they are all submerged in the water.
- Cook the noodles for four minutes. The lasagna noodles will still be firm but will be able to bend slightly.
- Pour the noodles into a colander and run cold water over the top to stop them from cooking. Set the noodles aside.
- Put together the ricotta filling. Add the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, and seasonings to a large bowl. Stir until well combined. The ricotta filling will look nice and fluffy.
- Assemble the gluten free lasagna. Start by spreading 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x13 baking dish.
- Then layout three lasagna noodles. Typically, I lay two next to each other and one on top. This doesn’t have to be perfect; it’s okay to move the noodles around to cover the bottom. Or to use an extra noodle.
- Next, spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Then sprinkle about ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
- Lay four lasagna noodles over the cheese, spread another cup of sauce over the noodles, and carefully spread the remaining ricotta cheese mixture over the sauce. This gets a little tricky so apply slowly. Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Finish with one last layer of lasagna noodles and spread one more cup of sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.
- Tightly cover the dish with foil.
- Bake for 55 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 5 – 7 minutes until bubbly and cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest for 20 – 30 minutes.
- Serve with remaining sauce.
Cooking Tips
I’ve made this gluten free lasagna recipe many times and have learned a few tips and tricks for making it perfect.
- Boil noodles for only 4 minutes. This short cooking time is the perfect time to get the noodles soft enough to work with but still firm enough to not turn into mush. The noodles should be firm (al dente), but you can slightly blend the pasta. You don’t want to cook them all the way through because they cook in the oven.
- Salt the water. This goes for all gluten-free pasta; salting the water infuses flavor into the noodles as they cook.
- If you struggle to shred the mozzarella, then put it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so just until it firms up.
- Don’t worry if some of your lasagna noodles break. Just add them to the layers. Once everything bakes, you’ll never know some are broken.
- Season the ricotta mixture. Ricotta is like a blank canvas, and mixing in grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper creates a fantastic flavor.
- I use a ceramic baking dish when making lasagna. If you use a glass or metal baking dish, you might need to reduce cooking time, so watch the lasagna at around 45 minutes.
- I use 1 cup of sauce per layer, and this is the perfect amount to get the noodles tender but still firm. You can add more sauce to individual pieces after it bakes.
- If you’re concerned about the sauce bubbling over in the dish and causing a mess in your oven, put a cookie sheet under the pan just in case of spillage.
- Make sure the foil is tightly covering the lasagna. Making sure the foil is on tightly will help cook the lasagna thoroughly to make sure the noodles are fully cooked. Also, it will avoid burning the top layer.
- Let the lasagna cool before eating. If you have an issue with your lasagnas falling apart, it’s most likely because you didn’t let it sit long enough. Allow for this vegetarian lasagna to sit for 20 minutes after it’s done baking. It needs that time to firm up!
Variations
- If you want to add meat to this gluten-free lasagna recipe, then either use a meat sauce or saute ground beef, Italian sausage, or ground turkey with Italian seasoning and add with the cheese layer to the lasagna.
- You can also add roasted vegetables; make sure to drain any liquid before adding to the lasagna. The vegetables can go in with the cheese layer. Check out this vegetable lasagna recipe on my sister site for tips on using vegetables in lasagna.
- Add a bright flavor by sprinkling fresh basil or parsley over the top after it bakes.
Storage
- You can prepare the marinara sauce and ricotta 2-3 days before. Then, when you’re ready to assemble, you’ll need to cook the noodles and build the rest of the lasagna.
- Assemble the entire lasagna and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to cook it, continue with instructions. You might need to add on some extra time since it was cold!
- Also, you can thoroughly cook this gluten free lasagna, cut into portions, store in an airtight container and refrigerator or freeze. When ready to eat, heat the lasagna in the microwave.
- Assemble the lasagna and freeze. Thaw 1-2 nights in the fridge and then continue to cook. Most likely, you’ll need to add cooking time as the lasagna will still be slightly frozen.
FAQs
Gluten free lasagna noodles don’t have precisely the same taste and texture as regular lasagna noodles but using Jovial lasagna noodles and the cooking tips I offered; it will be hard to tell the difference.
Using other high-quality ingredients makes a big difference when preparing a gluten-free lasagna everyone loves.
You don’t need to be exact when layering a lasagna, and a lot will depend on the ingredients you use and the size of your pan.
Here’s the way I layer a classic lasagna.
I start by covering the bottom of the pan with the sauce; this prevents the noodles from sticking and burning at the bottom.
Then I add a layer of noodles.
Next is the ricotta filling.
Followed by a sprinkle of mozzarella.
Repeat the noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella.
Finish with lasagna noodles, sauce, and the last of the mozzarella.
If you’re using meat or vegetables, layer those in after the ricotta cheese. But again, it really doesn’t matter as long as you start with sauce and noodles.
Gluten Free Lasagna
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- 9 x 13 Ceramic Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 9 ounce box of gluten-free lasagna noodles I recommend jovial brand
- 15 ounce container of whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
- 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella
- 3 cups gluten-free marinara sauce extra for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Start by cooking gluten-free lasagna noodles. Add salt to a large pot of water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Place the noodles in the water and move around until they are all submerged in the water.
- Cook the noodles for four minutes. The lasagna noodles will still be firm but will be able to bend slightly.
- Pour the noodles into a colander and run cold water over the top to stop them from cooking. Set the noodles aside.
- Put together the ricotta filling. Add the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, and seasonings to a large bowl. Stir until well combined. The ricotta filling will look nice and fluffy.
- Assemble the gluten free lasagna. Start by spreading 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x13 baking dish.
- Then layout three lasagna noodles. Typically, I lay two next to each other and one on top.
- Next, spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles.
- Then sprinkle about ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
- Lay three or four lasagna noodles over the cheese, spread another cup of sauce over the noodles, and carefully spread the remaining ricotta cheese mixture over the sauce. This gets a little tricky so apply slowly.
- Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Finish with one last layer of lasagna noodles and spread one more cup of sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.
- Tightly cover the dish with foil.
- Bake for 55 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 5 – 7 minutes until bubbly and cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest for 20 – 30 minutes.
- Serve with remaining sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Gluten Free Italian Dinner Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried the Best Gluten-free Lasagna recipe yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #glutenfreeitalianeats. I can’t wait to see it.
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