Gluten-Free Lasagna
Published
Creamy and savory gluten-free lasagna is the ultimate comfort food. Layered with gluten-free lasagna noodles, three cheeses, and a savory meat sauce, and baked to gooey perfection. It’s an easy gluten-free pasta recipe to add to your repertoire.
Gluten-Free Lasagna
This rich, hearty dish is a family favorite and great for weeknight dinners. I make this at least once a month during the colder months and usually have one stashed away in the freezer. Gluten-free Italian dishes are some of my favorites to create because the options are substantial. This is one of the most satisfying and filling gluten-free dinner recipes around.
This lasagna is layered with tender gluten-free noodles, a savory and rich meat sauce, and a delicious cheese blend. I’ve also got dairy-free instructions for anyone looking to enjoy this layered pasta without the cheese. My family loves it both ways—they can’t get enough.
Ingredients
- Noodles: My favorite brand is Barilla gluten-free lasagna noodles. Make sure the gluten-free noodles are “oven ready” or “no-boil” gluten-free
- Gluten-Free Spaghetti Sauce: Use store-bought gluten-free spaghetti sauce or make a homemade pasta sauce.
- Ground Beef: I like using lean ground beef. You can also use ground turkey, ground sausage, or ground pork.
- Ricotta Cheese: This creamy cheese is part of the layering used to make lasagna. It is a key ingredient. You can use gluten-free roasted garlic hummus as a dairy-free option.
- Frozen Spinach: The spinach adds both flavor and texture to the lasagna. You can also use green peas or broccoli chopped up small.
- Parmesan Cheese: It brings a distinct savory and salty flavor to the lasagna. Use a vegan parmesan for a dairy-free option.
- Mozzarella Cheese: It adds another layer of melty cheese to the lasagna. For dairy-free, I like Violife dairy-free just like mozzarella shreds.
- Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning: These seasonings are the classic combination used in Italian recipes.
Tips and Suggestions
- If you don’t have Italian Seasoning, make your own: 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary.
- Make sure to cover the lasagna pasta sheets completely with pasta sauce so they get tender and not crunchy.
- You can always use more cheese on top and broil the top for a few minutes to get it nice, browned, and bubbly.
- Don’t forget to let the lasagna layers set after baking for 10-15 minutes. This makes it easier to cut and serve.
- Remember to check all your labels to ensure all your ingredients are gluten-free.
Serving Suggestions
Top the lasagna with grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves. My family loves to soak up the extra sauce from this gluten-free lasagna with some gluten-free focaccia and a side salad to round out the meal.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Make ahead of time by preparing the lasagna according to recipe directions. Cover with foil sprayed with gluten-free cooking spray, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake the lasagna for 50 minutes, and then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Lasagna is also super easy to freeze. First, let the lasagna completely cool. Place in a plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Reheat the frozen lasagna in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. Make sure to cover the lasagna with foil before reheating in the oven. You can also allow the lasagna to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
More Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes
- Gluten-Free Meatballs
- Gluten-Free Southern Fried Chicken
- Gluten-Free Meatloaf
- Gluten-Free Chicken Parmesan
- Gluten-Free Fried Chicken
- Gluten-Free Empanadas
Gluten-Free Lasagna
Equipment
- 1 9" x 13" baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 24 ounce jar gluten-free pasta sauce, I used Prego Traditional sauce.
- 1 12 ounce bag frozen chopped spinach
- 1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese, For dairy-free use 10-ounce container of gluten-free roasted garlic hummus in place of ricotta cheese.
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, Leave out if dairy-free.
- 1 16 ounce bag shredded mozzarella cheese, For dairy-free, I like Violife dairy-free just like mozzarella shreds.
- 1 box Barilla Gluten Free Oven-Ready Lasagna, I have only tested this recipe with Barilla gluten-free oven-ready lasagne noodles.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan with gluten-free cooking spray.
- Spray a large skillet with gluten-free cooking spray. Add the beef and sprinkle with salt. Cook the beef over medium-high heat, until it starts to brown. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and stir until fully combined. Cook the meat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Stir in the gluten-free pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Prepare the chopped spinach according to the bag’s directions. Allow to cool, then squeeze out and drain the excess water.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped spinach, ricotta cheese (dairy-free use the hummus in place of the ricotta), and the parmesan cheese (dairy-free leave out). Mix until fully combined.
- Pour 1 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the greased baking dish and spread evenly. Place four sheets of the lasagna noodles side-by-side, they will slightly overlap. Top the lasagna sheets with 1 cup of sauce. Spread 1/4 of the ricotta mixture (or hummus mixture) over the sauce, and then top with 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat for 3 more layers. Top the last lasagna sheet with the meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Spray a piece of aluminum foil with gluten-free cooking spray. Cover the pan with the greased foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. If the lasagna noodles are puffing up after baking for 40 minutes, take a knife and poke a few holes in the top and flatten with a spatula. Sprinkle more cheese over the top and bake for the final 20 minutes.
- Allow the lasagna to rest 10-15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have Italian Seasoning, make your own: 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary.
- Make sure to cover the lasagna pasta sheets completely with pasta sauce so they get tender and not crunchy.
- You can always use more cheese on top and broil the top for a few minutes to get it nice, browned, and bubbly.
- Don’t forget to let the lasagna layers set after baking for 10-15 minutes. This makes it easier to cut and serve.
- Remember to check all your labels to ensure all your ingredients are gluten-free.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Make ahead of time by preparing the lasagna according to recipe directions, and cover with foil sprayed with gluten-free cooking spray, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake the lasagna for 50 minutes, and then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Lasagna is also super easy to freeze. First, let the lasagna completely cool. Place in a plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Reheat the frozen lasagna in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. Make sure to cover the lasagna with foil before reheating in the oven. You can also allow the lasagna to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Lasagna Step-By-Step
Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare your baking dish. Add a small layer of marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish or spray it with cooking spray.
Spray a large skillet with cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add 1 lb of lean ground beef and 1 tsp of salt, cook until the beef starts to brown. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, and 2 tbsp Italian seasoning and stir to fully combine. Continue to cook the meat until there’s no pink remaining. Use a paper towel to soak up any fat from the pan.
Add the gluten-free pasta sauce to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat.
Prepare 1 12 oz bag of chopped spinach according to the package instructions. Let the spinach cool and drain any excess water.
Grab a large bowl and combine the chopped spinach, 1 15 oz container ricotta cheese, and 1 cup parmesan cheese. Mix until fully combined. (For dairy-free use the hummus in place of the ricotta and omit the parmesan or use vegan parmesan).
Spread 1 cup of meat sauce evenly on the bottom of the greased baking dish. Then, place 4 lasagna noodle sheets side-by-side over the meat sauce. It’s okay if they overlap slightly.
Top the lasagna sheets with 1 cup of meat sauce and then ¼ of the ricotta spinach mixture (or hummus mixture). Top with ¼ of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat these steps 3 more times. Top the last layer of lasagna sheets with the remaining meat sauce and sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top.
Cover the baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil. I like to spray mine with cooking oil to prevent sticking.
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes. (If the lasagna noodles are puffing up after baking for 40 minutes, take a knife and poke a few holes in the top and flatten with a spatula. Sprinkle more cheese over the top and bake for the final 20 minutes.)
Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
This recipe was originally published on 10/9/23 and has been updated on 1/7/25.
Can I substitute ricotta cheese with Greek yogurt? If so is it 1:1
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tried this recipe with Greek yogurt.
My husband said it was the best lasagna I’ve ever made—he liked the crispy cheesy crust! He even liked it more than the Rao’s lasagna in the refrigerated section at Aldi (which is fabulous). I used regular Barilla’s oven ready lasagna noodles. My glass pan must have been smaller than yours, because one jar of pasta sauce and half a box of noodles (6 of them) filled the pan. Because I’m leery of foil, I lined the foil with parchment paper and that worked. I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I took the foil off a bit early to put some garlic toast in the oven, and the top of the lasagna became overly browned to me, but ironically, my crunch loving spouse liked the crust. Thank you, Audrey!
love your recipes!
This is a great recipe and so easy to make! . I used fresh spinach and cottage cheese instead of the ricotta. I also added a few fennel seeds and fresh chopped rosemary. My pan was a little smaller so I used fewer lasagna sheets. Wonderful flavors! Thanks for the great recipe! 😊
Going to start working 4 ten hour days a week and my husband wanted me to give him a few recipes that he could make/freeze that the whole family could eat. We made, we ate and we just had the frozen version last night. All delicious and easy to make. I’ll be giving him many more of your recipes to make, as I’m GF, and the family has become accustom to it… but only if it tastes just like the regular version 😉. Thanks so much!
❤️ Family of 4
Can you taste the hummus? I’m not a fan of hummus, but I’m interested in trying it since we’re dairy free.
Hi, we did not find the hummus flavor overwhelming and recommend to try it! However, if you find you’re not a fan, a dairy-free ricotta substitute like Tofutti or Kite Hill would work well.
These muffins are incredible….I didn’t have any chocolate chips so added one cup frozen blueberries….So good, but next time I will stick to the recipe and add the choclate chips….This recipe worked perfectly.. Such a treat for those of us who cannot eat gluten…Thank you so much…
Wrong recipe? Thus recipe us for lasagna, not muffins. You may have inadvertently commented on the wrong recipe.
thank you for another delicious recipe!
we love every recipe of yours!
thank you for the tips that make it possible to have meals together that fits everyone’s food allergies
Very tasty! I went gluten-free recently due to a chronic health issue and have been allergic to dairy my whole life. I made this with aldi brand vegan gf mozzarella shreds (really good and cheaper than the normal brands) and the recommended hummous replacements. Used fresh spinach cooked down and didn’t completely drain out the water which made for a more moist lasagna. My husband and I both really enjoyed it!
It is so enjoyable to be able to eat lasagna again!
I made it also DF, everyone loved it.
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
For someone who doesn’t enjoy cooking, GF and DF make it very difficult. This was a very simple recipe…thank you so much…everyone enjoyed it!
Just wondered about your comment of gluten free oil? I wasn’t aware that oil had gluten in it. Thanks for that, I’ll watch the labels
Hi Rosie! You have to be careful about cooking oil sprays. Some brands add flour to their cooking oil sprays for baking. I always recommend checking labels.☺️
I made your gluten free lasagna with the dairy free option. It was delicious. Even our family that are not gluten free had two helpings. Thank you so much for your recipes
I love this recipe Audrey…and soo many more of yours…they are all excellent..I have celiac as does oner of my daughters and we use your site for all our gluten free cooking…Thank you so much for sharing all these great receipes with us…
I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could! Even if I wasn’t avoiding gluten and dairy I would eat this lasagna because it’s incredible! The garlic hummus is a brilliant replacement for the ricotta. Like a previous poster I used fresh spinach and it cooked perfectly. Thank you for offering delicious recipes that taste just like the original
This was so amazing. I saw Dairy Free Ricotta in my local Sprouts the other day and thought how much my husband missed lasagna. When I got to the freezer section there were lasagna noodles. I came home and immediately came here to get a recipe. Back to the store I went to get what I needed. To make things more entertaining we also have a tomato allergy. It was a pretty long process to make the NoMato Sauce and then then Lasagna but it was a tremendous hit for dinner last night. My husband gave it 8.5 out of 10 because it had spinach in it. He said it would be a 9.5 if there had not been any spinach. I gave it a 9.5 myself. I was able to find gluten free, dairy free, soy free, coconut free ricotta, parmesan and a liquid mozzarella that browns and bubbles all at sprouts as well as the noodles. This was a big hit as all of the recipes from Mama Knows Gluten Free. Thank you for sharing so that you can make my household happy.
Tried both versions and they were both great! I used brown rice noodles and vegan Parmesan for the dairy free version. So good, thank you!
I love that you gave us the cheese/hummus sub. It is difficult to find recipes with both gluten and dairy subs. Even my husband who has no dietary issues loved it. So good! Sadly, I live in Canada and most of the brands you recommend are either not available or cost prohibitive.This is a bit frustrating, but sites like yours make our lives so much better. Thank you for all you do.❤️Barb Ontario, Canada
I am in the process of making the grocery list for this recipe. I would like to make several and freeze. Do I have to cook the lasagna before I freeze it or can I assemble the lasagna and freeze it uncooked? I could always soak the noodles in hot water first if that would help.
Hi Rachel! I always bake my gluten-free lasagna before freezing it. Once it’s completely cooled it freezes and reheats really easily. I hope you try my recipe and enjoy it!
This is the 3rd recipe I have used from Mama Knows and each time we have been so happy and surprised with how tasty each item was. I made this lasagna recipe to add to our Christmas 2021 dinner for those who have dairy/gluten allergies or vegan. I cannot race enough about this dish! I used a tad less garlic powder because we have a family member who cannot tolerate too much of it however it was still amazing. Thank you Mama Knows!!!
Very easy to do. I like the combination of ricotta and spinach. What I would prefer and did change it to fresh vegetables onions and garlic. Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful recipe! Substituted ricotta with goat cheese and used fresh spinach uncooked. Worked out great. Thanks!
Super delicious! I was pleasantly surprised to find that this recipe recommended hummus as the dairy replacement instead of some $40-$50 jar of plant based cheese, I’d never thought of that. The recipe was simple and easy to follow. Even my picky little ones loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Probably the best lasagna ever!
I made this Gluten-Free lasagna yesterday for a small gathering. Everyone
loved it. I wondered if the noodles would really get soft since they are not pre-cooked. They came out perfect. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
I made this Gluten-Free lasagna yesterday for a small gathering. Everyone loved it. I wondered if the noodles would really get soft since they are not pre-cooked. They came out perfect. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
This was sooo good! I decreased the amount of cheese (due to myself being sensitive if I have too much) and substituted the ricotta cheese with the hummus. I didn’t even miss it!
The gluten free lasagna was awesome!!! I posted a picture of it on Her Group on Facebook
Made it last night and it was delicious! Even my husband who is not dairy or gluten free loved it. I would change to fresh spinach for next time as my kids weren’t fans if the frozen, but I know they like when I use fresh in other things. How long can this freeze for? I would love to make it ahead.
Absolutely delicious I made one lot for Hubby using ricotta cheese and the second lasagne for myself using the garlic hummus We both adored both versions and i was told to make this again .Thanks for the delicious recipe