29
Jun

Lasagna with Homemade Gluten Free Noodles

A plate of homemade gluten free lasagna.

This Lasagna with Homemade Gluten Free Noodles tastes as real as it looks! I know that's an odd thing to say, but often grain-free dishes can deceive the eye in photos but can't play tricks on our palates. I was hoping it would be good, but it exceeded my expectations. Ever since going grain-free, I just succumbed to the fact that I would have to make the Italian dishes I grew up on using squash noodles. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Creamy Pesto Pasta dish and even really do enjoy my old Lasagna recipe using “breaded” zucchini strips, but this one takes the cake. I will never make a zucchini lasagna again. Mark my words.

Lasagna is such a comforting meal that is best shared with a crowd. There's something about bringing a large casserole dish full of bubbling cheese and the sweet aroma of cooked tomatoes to a table of hungry bellies and smiling faces. In my opinion, food is a necessary factor in building a community. It's what brings us together around  a table where we can share about our days and learn more about the people sitting across from us. It warms the heart, and fills the tummy!

Please don't be intimidated by the amount of steps, I promise you this is worth it. Making lasagna is a bit of a process in itself with all of the layering, and we are also making homemade lasagna “noodles.”  You can easily make the “tortillas/noodles” and the marinara the night before if you'd like to break up the process. You can also buy a store-bought marinara to save time, just make sure to get a really good one! It makes all the difference.

Because the SCD doesn't allow mozzarella, ricotta, or cottage cheese I use a mixture of Farmer's Cheese and yogurt to mimic the ricotta and provolone as my layering cheese because it melts down really well. You're welcome to use the authentic cheeses if your stomach can handle them. You'll also see the recipe for the tortillas calls for a lot of egg whites. You can buy an organic carton of just whites at health food stores, but you can also save your yolks and make some of my delicious custard pies and ice creams!

Lasagna with Homemade Gluten Free Noodles



AUTHOR:

SERVES: 6

Cuisine: Italian

Category: Dinner

PREP TIME: 30 mins

COOK TIME: 20 mins TOTAL TIME: 50 mins

Ingredients:

  • 10 Grain-free Tortillas/Crepes, cut into 2-inch strips like lasagna noodles
  • 1½ cups Marinara Sauce
  • ½ pound Italian Beef Sausage, casings removed
  • 2 cups baby spinach, sautéed in ½ tablespoon olive oil until wilted
  • 1 cup grated provolone cheese
  • 2 cups Dry Curd Cottage Cheese (I use Friendship Farmer’s Cheese)*
  • 3 tablespoons plain yogurt or almond milk*
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

*You can use 2 cups ricotta in place of the dry curd cottage cheese and plain yogurt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Crumble the sausage into a skillet and brown over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until is cooked through. Pour in all but ⅛ cup of the marina sauce and simmer on low until you’re ready to assemble your lasagna.
  3. Mix the Farmer’s cheese, yogurt, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil in a bowl.
  4. Lightly grease the sides of an 8×11 baking dish. Pour the reserved ⅛ cup of marina sauce into the bottom of the dish.
  5. Start by layering the strips of tortillas on the bottom, overlapping them ever so slightly so the fillings don’t seep through the cracks. If they don’t quite reach the edges of the dish, you can fill in the open spots with the scraps leftover from cutting them into strips.
  6. Next, spoon in ⅓ of the “ricotta” cheese mixture and gently spread to cover the surface. Then put half of the spinach on top, then top that with a sprinkle of provolone, and lastly with ⅓ of the meat sauce.
  7. Repeat until you’ve run out of ingredients going in this order: Noodles, ricotta, spinach, provolone, meat sauce. Finish with the remaining provolone and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.
  8. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top and the corners are bubbling.
  9. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
  10. Enjoy!!!

*This was still just as tasty as leftovers 3 days later and wasn’t the least bit soggy!

 



Keywords: gluten free, main dish, paleo, scd, Italian