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Gluten Free Lasagna is the ultimate Italian comfort food with layers of rich and hearty meat sauce, three kinds of cheese, and gluten free lasagna noodles. Find out which pasta to choose, and there’s no doubt that you’ll be calling this the World’s Best Gluten Free Lasagna recipe ever!
Best Gluten Free Lasagna Recipe
My kid is obsessed with Garfield. I’ll be honest, it is adorable and endearing at the same time as it is extremely annoying. It gets him reading, and he curls up on the couch or in his bed with his book and just laughs and laughs. If you’ve ever heard this kid laugh, you’d know how this could warm even the coldest, blackest of hearts. He has this deep belly laugh that just fills the room.
But then he will retell each and every Garfield comic in extreme detail. A four-block comic strip that I could read in two minutes takes him 20 minutes to recount. However, I listen. And I laugh. As moms do.
This love of Garfield also led to neverending requests for a lasagna dinner. But at least it was the motivation I needed to make an amazing homemade gluten free lasagna recipe.
And this is guaranteed to be the best lasagna recipe you’ve ever had. By making it with the best gluten free lasagna noodles, you won’t even know the difference. This hearty Italian comfort food is always a family favorite. Now everyone can enjoy the layers of pasta, meat sauce, and creamy, gooey cheese, even if you have to eat gluten free. It is truly a labor of love.
How to make lasagna gluten free
There are some traditional lasagna recipes that call for a bechamel. This is a white cream sauce traditionally thickened with a roux made with flour and butter. This recipe does not have a bechamel sauce, so that is not a concern. But you do still get that creaminess in this gluten free lasagna with ricotta cheese mixture instead. Ricotta cheese is gluten free, and it is simply mixed with egg, salt, and fresh parsley.
The best gluten free lasagna noodles
Hands down, I only recommend Barilla Gluten Free Oven-Ready Lasagne noodles. These are no-boil noodles that you just layer in a baking dish with the other ingredients. I recommend these for several reasons:
- No-boil noodles are less work.
- No-boil noodles absorb some of the liquid in the sauce while cooking so you can add plenty of sauce to keep it moist and flavorful, and still end up being able to cut nice slices.
- Other brands do not have as good of a flavor and rice noodles tend to have a grittier texture. Plus they do not hold up well to the process of boiling and baking and can leave you with a pile of mush.
Where can I buy Barilla gluten free lasagna noodles?
I’ve already told you why these are my favorite gluten free lasagna noodles, but now the question is where to get them. I have often seen them at my regular grocery stores and even at Target, but you can also order from Barilla Gluten Free Oven-Ready Lasagne from Amazon!
Ingredients
For the sauce
- Pork or turkey sausage and ground beef: Do read the labels on your sausage, but most that I’ve seen are gluten free. If you buy pre-packaged ground beef, there is the possibility of added fillers. This is why I typically buy it ground in the store or I do check the labels on any pre-packaged meats.
- Onion, garlic, and fresh parsley: These fresh ingredients are always gluten free.
- Canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes: In most cases, these products are gluten free. Do be aware of added seasonings in tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. I usually use Tuttorosso, in particular for Crushed Tomatoes because it is my favorite.
- Dried herbs and seasonings: This is another case where most brands are safe, especially for single herbs. But mixes, such as the Italian Seasoning, can be a risk. So check your labels. McCormick has all of their information on their website, and the only concern is occasionally the blends or other mixes. But all of their ingredients in this recipe are gluten free, including the Italian Seasoning.
For the ricotta cheese mixture
- Ricotta cheese
- Egg
- Parsley
- Salt
For assembling the lasagna:
- Gluten free lasagna noodles: You’ll need 12 sheets of those Barilla Lasagna Noodles
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: I do recommend shredding your own mozzarella as it melts better than pre-shredded.
- Grated Parmesan cheese: If you buy pre-grated parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese, just check your labels for additives or fillers.
How to layer lasagna
All of the instructions you need are in the recipe card for making the sauce and cheese mixture. But if you want to really know all the details, tips, tricks, and substitutions, I recommend you check out the World’s Best Lasagna recipe, which has all of that information.
But here is a quick overview of layering the lasagna. I like three layers of noodles with a good amount of meat sauce and all of the cheeses in between. Plus you can’t forget a golden and gooey mozzarella layer on top. Here is how it goes.
- Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom.
- Add one layer of noodles.
- Top with sauce, half of the ricotta mixture, one-third of the mozzarella, and one-third of the parmesan.
- Add the second layer of noodles
- Repeat with more sauce, the other half of the ricotta mixture, plus half of the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Add the final layer of noodles.
- Top with sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
- I typically use turkey sausage to make it a little less greasy and cut out a few calories (and mainly because my husband can’t eat much pork). But any kind of Italian sausage is fine. Like a little more heat? Use hot Italian sausage.
- The original recipe calls for a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Some say that this helps balance the acidity in the sauce. I don’t feel that it is necessary, so it’s your call whether you use it or not.
- I like to simmer the sauce for no less than an hour and a half. In fact, I’ll often make it the day before I assemble the lasagna. You can also mix the ricotta in advance and keep it in the fridge overnight if you want to assemble the lasagna the next day.
- As I mentioned, while the texture does change slightly, this lasagna, when using the Barilla lasagna noodles, has held up well to reheating and even freezing and reheating.
Serving Suggestions
- Start with a salad, such as this Italian-Style Wedge Salad or Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad.
- Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms with Balsamic Vinegar make lovely side dishes for gf lasagna.
- Skip the bread and enjoy Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters made with pesto and mozzarella cheese.
- And for dessert, enjoy a piece of Gluten Free Tiramisu.
- Don’t forget to grab those noodles.
- While we’re at it, Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes have always been my favorite.
- A good, heavy enameled cast iron Dutch oven is great for letting that sauce simmer.
- I like to bake my lasagna in a nice, deep stoneware baking dish so that it cooked evenly and doesn’t overflow.
World’s Best Gluten Free Lasagna
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
- 1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion , minced
- 2 cloves garlic , crushed
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso is recommended)
- 12 ounce can tomato paste (or two 6 ounce cans)
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For the ricotta cheese mixture:
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablepsoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For assembling the lasagna:
- 12 Barilla Gluten Free Oven-Ready Lasagne Noodles
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the meat sauce:
- In a large Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until cooked through and browned. Drain any excess grease, if needed.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water, and stir everything together.
- Add sugar (if using), basil, Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, and 2 Tablespoons parsley, and stir to combine.
- Simmer, covered, for at least 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. I usually try to simmer for as long as possible.
For the ricotta cheese mixture:
- In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, 2 Tablespoons parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until needed.
For assembling the lasagna:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- To assemble, spread 1½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange a single layer of three noodles over meat sauce.
- Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon 1½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes.
- Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakekalechip on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
More recipes to make with gluten free noodles
I’ve made all of these recipes with gluten free pasta, so give them a try and enjoy your favorite pasta dishes as part of your gluten free lifestyle.
- Easy Beefaroni
- Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese
- Classic Vodka Sauce
- Eggplant Parmigiana Pasta Casserole
I have made this twice, and it’s turned out well both times. I agree that there is only enough ricotta mix for two layers, so I just used an Italian cheese mix for the third layer and on top. I also made the marinara a bit different to what was suggested (no jar sauce for this gal!). I added a lot more garlic and some red wine, and then boiled some milk through it to cut the bitterness. It smells amazing while cooking, and my husband, who normally likes gluten-y pasta, thought it was great. Will use this again.
This is really good, but a bit salty. I would recommend salting the sauce to taste after it simmers down, and maybe half the salt or none at all to the ricotta. Also, I substituted Impossible Burger for the ground beef…a lot less fat that way. But overall, a very good, hearty lasagne.
Thanks for the feedback. Salt can be a very personal taste, so definitely good to adjust to your preference.
I took a chance and made this for a special family dinner. Other than tweaking the spices and garlic in the sauce, I followed the recipe as written. After the first 25 minutes of baking, the noodles seemed very dry and I was seriously worried it wouldn’t come together but it turned out perfectly al dente in the end! The slow-cooked sauce really makes a difference and it’s something I have not done in the past. This will now be my go-to recipe for lasagna.
Love to hear this!
Do you think you could make this the day before and leave it in the fridge until baking? Or would the noodles end up turning to mush?
I have done that when I use the no-boil noodles and it works fine!
I made this lasagna last night and it was amazing! Easy to make and buying the non-boil GF noodles was a game changer. The whole family loved it. I will definitely make it again.
So happy to hear it. Yes, the no-boil noodles work so well for gluten free lasagna since cooked GF pasta can tend to break apart.
Fairly straight forward to make, and it turned out great! I found that there was only enough ricotta for the bottom two layers, so the top half had a lot kore meat sauce. Seemed like I could have used just a little more mozzarella, but it turned out delicious. The noodles were a great recommendation.
How long do I bake it after I freeze it?
If you thaw it and then let it come to room temperature, it’ll take about the same amount of time, but if it is cold, it might need another 20-30 minutes covered.
Do you cook the noodles before layering the lasagna?
Forgive me if this is mentioned somewhere in the recipe or comments.
I use the Barilla no-boil noodles, so those I do not cook first, but it will depend on the type of noodles you use.
Admitting that this is the worlds best lasagna! My family wanted to eat the entire pan in one night!
Thank for the recipe!!!
I just made this for a second time in the last two weeks because it is so good. I haven’t had lasagna in years and this was delicious. I have celiac but the rest of my household does not, but I am the cook so I make most things GF and this recipe was a big hit! Only thing I added was diced up pepperoncini’s to the sauce because I am obsessed with them.
This has become my go to GF lasagna recipe after just two times making it. I am with you, Barilla lasagna noodles or don’t even cook this. You would have to be crazy to use any other noodle. The taste is great, they’re even not that hard to break up when using a round lasagna pan (I make this in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Crisp/Air Fryer). Just a great recipe and I appreciate your posting it!
I’m a 15 year old who loves to cook and I was diagnosed with celiacs around a year ago I haven’t had lasagna yet and it was Absolutely amazing! I’m so glad I found this, thank you so much!
This makes me so happy! It always feels good to be able to enjoy an old favorite again!
Walmart carries several types of Barilla GF noodles, all delicious.
Also, for sauces that need thickening, we use Bob’s Red Mill 1to 1 GF Baking flour… We have found this to be a superb thickener for all our sauces. Blends perfectly and tastes great.
Wonderful, thanks for the tips.
Making this now with a few adjustments. I used WAY more garlic, parsley, and basil because I am using dairy free cheeses, which tend to have zero flavor or leave an after taste. I’m not telling my family it is dairy free to get honest feedback, as I usually make them gluten free and just exclude dairy in my own foods.
Thanks so much this recipe, it smells heavenly!
I hope you enjoyed it. I have not tried the dairy free substitutions, so hopefully it was still just as delicious.
Hello. This recipe looks great. I want to make the gluten-free lasagne a week ahead and then freeze the lasagne. Will the noodles stay whole or disintegrate or turn to mush?
If you freeze it before baking, it should be fine. I have actually frozen it after it is completely baked and yes, the noodles to break apart a little, but it didn’t turn to complete mush. Even my gluten-eating kids and husband still enjoyed it.
HUGE HIT!!! I made this yesterday with Cappello’s Almond Flour Lasagna sheets. I also added spinach to each layer, and served with italian salad. I’m printing this as our new family favorite Lasagna recipe. 🙂
OK, now I am intrigued about almond flour lasagna sheets!!
In the nutrition information at the end of the recipe, I noticed the potassium and sodium content is very high. Where is all the extra sodium coming from? and since I’m on a renal diet, I can’t have much potassium either. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Diana, the nutrition information is pulled from a database to be as accurate as possible, but may not be exact. Therefore, if you have specific medical needs, I’d recommend discussing with your doctor. Ingredients such as the sausage and cheeses as well as the canned tomato products can have a high sodium content. But many are available in lower sodium versions, which may be an option for you.
Often my oven baked gluten free pasta isn’t all the. Way cooked. I found a brand online with the ruffled edges and you boil it! Delicious! No more tough pasta noodles!! Tinkyada is the brand. I will suggest this to my grocery store. Since Covid19 I can’t even find any gluten free lasagna noodles in the stores!!
Thanks for sharing! I will have to try those. I have heard of that brand.
A family hit! Our daughter has celiac and loves pasta, especially lasagna. We hadn’t tried a recipe up until this point for fear that the gf noodles would ruin it for us. But it was so great! A family staple for sure. Thank you!
Have you tried hearts of palm lasagna noodle alternative?
I have not, but I will look into that!
I am making this recipe as we speak and very excited- the sauce smells amazing. I am wondering if I want to freeze it, do i Bake it first and then freeze it once it cools or do I freeze it uncooked? thanks!
Sorry for the delay in responding. You can really do either. With gluten free pasta, it might be better to freeze it before, as they do tend to break up a bit more when cooked, frozen, and thawed. But I did that and we still enjoyed it.
We love this lasagna and froze half, it was great the second time. Making it again tonight for my parents.
Can I assemble this ahead of time, refrigerate, and bake off later? Or will the noodles turn to mush?
If you use the no-boil gluten free noodles, I would suspect it will be fine.
Can this be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen? I’m making it for a family in need. Thanks!
Absolutely, Michelle. You can bake it ahead and either refrigerate or freeze it.
Do you recommend taking the sausages out of their casings or just slicing them up after cooking?
Hi Christine!
I actually cover this in the video I made, but yes, I remove the sausage from the casings. That way, it crumbles up like ground beef. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This was absolutely delicious! My husband did his happy dance while eating it and has requested me to cook this again next week! I made the sauce from scratch and I’m glad I did. I added a little bit of nutmeg and more garlic to my liking and it came out great! Five stars all around!
Talea, thank you for rating the recipe. I’m SO happy to hear that your family loves it as much as mine does!
can you come up with a lasagna not using ricotta cheese or any cream cheese
with a nice meat sauce instead, Husband does not like the cream cheeses variety at all
thanks
Thanks for the suggestion! I will look into it!