This stunning gluten-free vegetarian lasagna is made completely from scratch, making it the ultimate comfort food dish to serve for any special dinner! Short on time? Use provided shortcuts to make this recipe quicker! Either way this lasagna is so flavorful and easy to make.
Make the Marinara Sauce and Ricotta Cheese Mixture
In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
Add the fresh baby spinach to the pan along with 2 cloves of minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Sauté the spinach until wilted, then remove from the pan, drain or squeeze out any excess moisture, and set aside. (Skip this step if using frozen spinach. See notes.)
Now make the sauce. In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the diced onions and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add in 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes.
Turn the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, with the lid partially covering the pot. Stir occasionally.
While the sauce simmers, finish the ricotta mixture. Add the wilted spinach to a large bowl. Use kitchen shears to chop up the spinach a bit, if desired. Then, add the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and eggs and stir until well combined.
Assemble the Lasagna
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 2-quart casserole dishes.
Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of each pan.
Place a single layer of noodles on top of the sauce.
Spread a layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.
Place a layer of the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the ricotta.
Top the cheese with another layer of tomato sauce, pasta, ricotta mixture, and then mozzarella cheese again. If you have enough ingredients and space in your pan, you can repeat the layers one more time, saving enough sauce and pasta for one final layer.
For the final layers, spread a layer of tomato sauce on top of the cheese, followed by a layer of noodles, then a final layer tomato sauce. Top the lasagna with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
Cover the lasagna with foil. Bake at 350°F for 60-90 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 15-20 minutes to brown the cheese. The lasagna is done when the internal temperature in the center is 165°F, the sauce is bubbling throughout but not watery, and the cheese is melted and golden brown on top. Use a toothpick to poke the center and feel the noodles, if they feel soft without much resistance, the lasagna is done.
Notes
For frozen spinach, thaw the frozen spinach according to package directions. Place the spinach in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel to cool and drain. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach.
To skip the homemade sauce and use jarred, you will need 64 ounces of your favorite jarred marinara sauce.
Feel free to use whatever size pan you wish and just layer the lasagna as usual. You can keep making pans of lasagna until you run out of ingredients. Baking times may vary depending on the pan you use.
For easy freezing, use disposable foil pans. Mini loaf pans are the perfect size for 1-2 servings.
Don't worry if the noodles don't reach right to the edge of the pan. They can, but a little space is also ok.