An easy recipe for gluten-free lasagna. Layers of gluten-free pasta, cheeses, and a savory meat sauce. This homemade gluten-free lasagna also has an easy dairy-free option.
Gluten-Free Lasagna
Gluten-Free Lasagna is one of my family’s favorite meals! We have been able to enjoy lasagna again because I can easily find the Barilla gluten-free lasagna noodles. It only takes one box of noodles to make a 9 x 13 pan of lasagna!
I have also been able to make a dairy-free version of lasagna that my whole family enjoys as well! I promise you won’t miss the regular cheese in the dairy-free option of my lasagna recipe. It’s still creamy and cheesy just like the classic lasagna but without using weird ingredients.
You can see just how easy this gluten-free lasagna is to make in the recipe video.
Is Lasagna Gluten-Free?
Traditional lasagna noodles are not gluten-free. The good news is that there is a brand of oven-ready gluten-free lasagna noodles!
I have only tested this recipe with Barilla gluten-free oven-ready lasagna noodles. The Barilla gluten-free lasagna noodles do not need to be pre-cooked. I buy the Barilla gluten-free lasagna noodles from Walmart or my local grocery store.
As for the other ingredients, like the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese these are all naturally gluten-free. I always recommend checking all the labels of your ingredients.
How To Make Homemade Gluten-Free Lasagna
- 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. (photo 1)
- 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. (photo 2)
- 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 ¼ of the ricotta mixture (or hummus mixture ) over the sauce and then top with ¼ of the mozzarella cheese. (photo 4)
- Repeat for 3 more layers. Top the last lasagna sheet with the meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. (photos 5 & 6)
- 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. (photo 7)
- Allow the lasagna to rest 10-15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy! (photo 8)
- Save leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven.
Can The Lasagna Be Made Ahead Of Time?
Lasagna is super easy to make ahead of time. Prepare 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.
Can You Freeze Lasagna?
Lasagna is 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. Or allow the lasagna to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Tips For Making Gluten-Free Lasagna
- I use olive oil cooking spray to grease my baking dish.
- I also spray the foil to keep it from sticking to the top cheese layer.
- Make sure to squeeze and drain the excess water out of the cooked chopped spinach.
- Ground turkey can be used in place of the ground beef.
- Cottage cheese can be used in place of the ricotta cheese.
- If you don’t have Italian Seasoning, make your own: 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 ½ teaspoons dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried sage, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram, ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary.
- Make sure to cover the lasagna pasta sheets completely with pasta sauce.
- 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.
- You can always use more cheese on top and broil the top for a few minutes to get it nice, browned, and bubbly.
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Lasagna
I promise if you are also dairy-free you can enjoy lasagna! For the dairy-free option, I used roasted garlic hummus in place of the ricotta cheese and Violife dairy-free just like mozzarella shreds.
The roasted garlic hummus really mimicked the creaminess of the ricotta cheese, and the Violife shreds are my favorite dairy-free alternative for mozzarella. The Violife really melts well and tastes good.
Most of my family (including me) are also dairy-free. So I also try and include a dairy-free version to all of my recipes.
Some of my favorite dairy-free products that I like to cook with are Smart Balance butter, olive oil, and unsweetened almond milk.
Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna Recipe
This recipe for gluten-free lasagna is a super easy recipe! It can be made ahead of time for busy nights. The lasagna also freezes and reheats beautifully.
This gluten-free dinner recipe is comfort food at it’s best and is always a family favorite!
More Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Gluten-Free Meatballs {Dairy-Free Option}
- Gluten-Free Southern Fried Chicken {Dairy-Free Option}
- Gluten-Free Chicken and Dumplings {Dairy-Free Option}
- Gluten-Free Meatloaf {Dairy-Free Option}
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Gluten-Free Lasagna {Dairy-Free Option}
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 24-ounce jars 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 ¼ of the ricotta mixture (or hummus mixture) over the sauce, and then top with ¼ 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!
- Save leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven.
Video
Notes
- For the dairy-free option, I used gluten-free roasted garlic hummus in place of the ricotta cheese and Violife dairy-free just like mozzarella shreds.
- Save leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven.
- Ground turkey can be used in place of the ground beef.
- Cottage cheese can be used in place of the ricotta cheese.
- If you don't have Italian Seasoning, make your own: 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 ½ teaspoons dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried sage, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram, ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary.
- Make sure to cover the lasagna pasta sheets completely with the pasta sauce.
- To make ahead: prepare according to recipe directions, cover with foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake for 50 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- To freeze: allow the lasagna to cool. Place in a plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. Make sure to cover the lasagna with foil before reheating in the oven. Or allow the lasagna to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
- I have only tested this recipe with Barilla gluten-free oven-ready lasagne noodles.
- Mama says, "check all of your labels!"
Nutrition
Lexie says
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!
Jade says
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.
V HPensis says
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!
Rosie says
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
Audrey says
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.☺️
Judy Angely says
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
shirley says
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…
Lena says
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
Angela says
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.
Erin says
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!
Barb Dillon says
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
Rachel says
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.
Audrey says
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!
Lelah Beckerle says
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!!!
Mai says
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!
Susan says
Wonderful recipe! Substituted ricotta with goat cheese and used fresh spinach uncooked. Worked out great. Thanks!
Jess says
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! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christy says
Probably the best lasagna ever!
Becky Davis says
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.
Mimi Davis says
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.
ShannonS says
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!
Maggie says
The gluten free lasagna was awesome!!! I posted a picture of it on Her Group on Facebook
Chaylyne Kunda says
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.
Shirleen Ensor says
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