Gluten-Free Classic Lasagne with Spinach & Mushrooms
There’s some recipes that are just so good, they shouldn’t be messed with. That’s how I feel about my mom’s lasagne recipe! I’ve been eating this exact lasagne my entire life, and it’s also the meal my mom would always make any time someone had a new baby or was going through a rough time. It’s truly the ultimate comfort food! I’ve adapted it to my life now by making it a Gluten-Free Classic Lasagne with Spinach & Mushrooms!
When I went gluten-free, I really worried about how I was going to continue to eat my favorite foods without sacrificing on flavor and texture, but I’ve luckily found so many substitutes that are widely available in stores and haven’t had to compromise.
For this Gluten-Free Classic Lasagne with Spinach & Mushrooms, I’m using Taste Republic Gluten-Free Lasagne Sheets! All of their pasta shapes are fresh, so they are refrigerated until you cook them. Every single one I’ve tried has been amazing, including their tortellini, which is the only GF one I’ve been able to find!
Because these lasagne sheets are fresh, I would par-cook shelf-stable noodles, if you choose to use them, until they are just under al dente. That way, they’ll finish cooking as the lasagne bakes.
homemade marinara sauce
One major key to this Gluten-Free Classic Lasagne with Spinach & Mushrooms is the homemade marinara. Making your own tomato sauce is so easy and simple, and I promise once you try it, you won’t be able to go back to the jarred stuff. Homemade just has so much more flavor! If you don’t want to make the sauce every time, you definitely can replace it with a store-bought sauce, or make a large batch at once and freeze some to pull out and use for this recipe!
- The homemade marinara starts with 4-6 garlic cloves (depending on their size) minced finely and ½ yellow onion diced. In a large pot (I use my dutch oven), heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and add the garlic and onion, allowing to sauté until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp of tomato paste, stir to coat the garlic & onion, then add 28 oz. canned plum tomatoes. Fill the can about halfway with water to get all of the remaining tomato from the can and pour into the pot. Stir well, and season with 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. If you want your marinara to have a bit of heat, add ½ crushed red pepper flakes. That’s the base for a really, really delicious marinara, but there’s other additions that I typically add, too!
- Depending on what I have, I love to add a decent amount of chopped fresh herbs like basil, thyme and oregano. At the end of cooking, I also love to add about 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Even though it’s tangy, the sugar balances out some of the acidity of the tomato sauce.
It’s important to simmer the tomato sauce covered for about 30 minutes on low, stirring frequently to really let the flavors marinate together.
steps for Freezing The Lasagne
Another great thing about this lasagne is that it can be assembled, frozen and then baked in the oven for a really convenient meal.
To freeze, first assemble the lasagne according to directions and then cover in plastic wrap (you want to make sure it’s really well covered so that it doesn’t dry out), and freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure to take it out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw the day before you want to bake it!
This is one of my favorite meals because EVERYONE loves it! If you feel the same way about Gluten-Free Classic Lasagne with Spinach & Mushrooms, come say hi on Instagram and follow my boards on Pinterest for tons of recipe inspo!
Gluten-Free Classic Lasagne with Spinach & Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 cups full-fat ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning + 1 tsp
- 1 box Lasagne noodles I used the Taste Republic fresh gluten-free noodles. If using shelf-stable noodles, boil noodles 2 mins less than full cooking time (al dente)
- 1 9 oz. bag frozen spinach thawed & excess liquid drained
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
- 32 oz. tomato sauce Recipe for homemade marinara is above. Highly recommend!
- 12 oz. shredded cheese I use Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sauté mushrooms in a skillet until browned, about 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and 1 tsp Italian seasoning at the end of cooking time.
- In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning.
- In a 9 x 13 dish, ladle in a layer of tomato sauce. (note: I use homemade sauce and it makes a big difference in the flavor. My recipe is above).
- Add a layer of the noodles, slightly overlapping (typically 4 noodles) over the sauce.
- Spoon 1/2 the ricotta mixture on top, spreading it out to an even layer.
- Sprinkle on 1/3 of the bag of cheese, then a 1/2 the spinach and 1/2 the mushrooms.
- Repeat steps 4-7.
- For the last layer, add the lasagne sheets, the last of the sauce and the rest of the cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes covered in foil. Uncover and cook for an additional 10, broiling for 2 minutes at the end for browning, if desired
