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Alternating layers of pasta, a sumptuous ragù sauce, a creamy and cheesy béchamel, freshly shredded cheeses, and little bites of hot Italian sausage for the ultimate flavor bomb, this lasagna gets baked to cheesy bubbling perfection for a rich and indulgent mouthful that is good to the last bite. Classic and clean eating, this recipe has earned its spot in your go-to recipe collection.
💕 Here’s Why you Will LOVE this Lasagna:
- It’s gluten-free and clean eating.
- It uses a no-bake, high protein green lentil pasta that cooks up amazingly and tastes like regular pasta.
- It’s healthy and loaded with fresh hidden veggies such as carrots, fresh Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and spinach! But I bet you no one will know!
- It uses protein-rich meat. As well as protein-rich milk and cheeses.
- Beside from the secret flavor bomb of the Italian sausage, we’ll be using a heavenly silky smooth cheesy béchamel sauce for extra richness and flavor.
- It’s incredibly hearty and filling and it’s so delicious and indulgent it is guaranteed to hit the spot.
About the Layers
This lasagna can be broken up into 5 components:
- Pasta – we’re using a no bake pasta so no prep is needed.
- Cheese – we’ll use a blend of different shredded or deli sliced cheese.
- Sausage – we’ll add bits of cooked hot Italian sausage to every layer. I believe in keeping it separate from the meat sauce so that the flavor doesn’t bleed out and get lost.
- Red Meat Sauce – this sumptuous ragù contains a well seasoned and balanced blend of minced meat and vegetables simmered in a rich tomato sauce.
- White Cheese Sauce – this cheesy sauce is essentially a rich, creamy and beautifully spiced béchamel. Trust us that you’ll never want to use ricotta again.
Being baked in a 9 x 13 dish, our lasagna will use 3 sheets of pasta a layer to make up 3-4 layers total which will give you 8 servings.
Here’s how we make/prep each element…
Lasagna Pasta
For our lasagna pasta, I’m using a no-bake green lentil lasagna. This pasta bakes up beautifully with no prep, it’s gluten-free and high in protein and fiber making it a great alternative choice.
Looking at the ingredients its made with green lentil flour, green pea flour and brown rice flour. Once baked into your lasagna, the taste and texture is indiscernible from regular wheat-based pastas which is a huge win in our books. The only slight difference if we had to identify one, is that the pasta bakes up slightly thicker than traditional wheat-based lasagna sheets but in our opinion that works to the lasagna’s favor in that it cuts and holds it’s shape wonderfully and has a divine pasta chew to it!
Cheeses
For the best flavor, I highly recommend using a blend of cheeses. Today I’m using a pepper jack which will go into our white sauce, and some mozzarella and colby cheese which will be added in between the layers and as the top layer of our lasagna. For prep, we’ll grate our cheeses.
Some other great options include: Provolone/Smoked Provolone, Gouda/Smoked Gouda, Edam, Munster, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar.
Sausage
We’re using a hot Italian sausage for an extra kick of flavor in our lasagna. Trust me that this one detail will give you a lasagna that will have that extra bite of flavor that you won’t forget!
After removing the casings we’ll cook the sausages in a large pot, being sure to break them down into crumbles and allowing them to brown. Then, we’ll set them aside. We’re going to keep them separate and not mix them into the ragù. Instead we’ll add bits of crumbled sausage to each layer which will give us the most potent flavor as well as add some variety because not all bites will have equal bits of sausage in it, making the ones that do all the more special.
As for the pot with that lovely browned bits of sausage and the leftover oils from the sausage, don’t wash it, this is the same pot we’ll be making our ragù in! Speaking of which…
Red Meat Sauce (Meat Ragù)
To make our ragù we’ll need the following ingredients.
- Ground Beef: You can use either a lean 90/10 or fattier 80/20 ground beef. Alternatively you can combine a 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground pork.
- Tomato Sauce: Opt to use plain, unseasoned, unsalted tomato sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This seasoning is a not-so-secret flavor amplifier to our ragù.
- Oil: Opt to use any clean eating, neutral oil. I’m using a light olive oil.
- Broth/Stock: Feel free to use any kind of broth or stock of your choosing. Beef, chicken, vegetable or mushroom are great options. You can also use bone broth if preferred.
- Onion: White or yellow onions work great. If you’d like, you can also use shallots.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best but you can also use dehydrated or frozen garlic.
- Parsley: Curly or Italian parsley can be used. In a pinch you can also use cilantro.
- Thyme: Fresh fine thyme works best but you can also use dried.
- Carrots: Whole fresh carrots will be either finely diced or minced and incorporated into our ragù. You can also use parsnips if preferred.
- Butternut Squash: Cubes of butternut squash will be added to the ragù and will cook down and disappear into the sauce while adding great flavor and a touch of sweetness.
- Salt: I’m using my favorite Himalayan pink salt but sea salt or any salt of your choosing works.
- Pepper: Pre- or fresh-ground black pepper in whatever grind you like will work.
- Sugar: A small touch of finely blended raw cane sugar adds balance and complements the acidity of the tomato sauce. Alternatively you can use honey instead.
- Italian Seasoning: This blend of dried herbs consists of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, savory, and sage and adds intense and amazing flavor to the sauce.
- Smoked Paprika: This final touch of smoked paprika adds a hint of smoky sweetly earthy edge to the sauce.
Optionally, you can also add in fresh Brussels sprouts (I do not recommend using frozen for this recipe) that you’ve shredded or minced. It will cook down into the ragù and almost dissolve and blend nicely into the meat sauce so as not to stand out. You can also add in fresh or frozen spinach as well.
To start we’ll blitz our onion and garlic together in a mini food processor to make things easier, alternatively you can just use a knife to finely mince it.
Once you’re done you can also use the food processor to mince your carrots as well. You can also use it to break down your fresh Brussels sprouts and even your butternut squash. I personally think it saves me time since most of these are going to be cooked and broken down in the sauce.
To the pot that we cooked the sausage in, add your oil and onion and garlic and cook until fragrant (1). Then, add in your ground beef and cook until browned, being sure to break it up into fine crumbles (2). Add in all the spices and Worcestershire sauce. Mix and cook for a couple minutes (3) before adding in your veggies and cooking an additional few minutes (4).
Finally, add in your broth/stock and tomato sauce and bring your mixture to a bubble before reducing the heat to low, covering your pot and letting it simmer for about 15 minutes. If needed you can add in a bit more sauce or stock. Turn off the heat and leave your pot covered to rest. While the sauce is melding together and doing amazing things, we’ll make our cheesy sauce.
Cheesy White Sauce (Cheesy Béchamel)
To make our sauce we’ll need the following:
- Butter: I’m using salted butter but you can use unsalted if preferred.
- Milk: Opt to use whole milk for this recipe. In a pinch you can also use skimmed or 1% or even chicken broth. Many chefs will stand behind warming your milk before making your béchamel but from a home cook level, this isn’t necessary and just takes time and adds one more pot to wash. Adding your milk in cold or hot doesn’t make much of a difference to the smoothness, consistency or taste based on my personal testing.
- Potato Starch: Not traditional but I’m using potato starch as my thickener for this recipe to keep it gluten-free. You can however use a gluten-free blend of flour if preferred such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 or King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour. See below for notes on the method.
- Pepper Jack Cheese: I highly recommend using a pepper jack cheese for this sauce, the blend of flavors and the slight spice complements all other elements perfectly. However if Pepper Jack isn’t your preference, feel free to use any other semi-hard cheese of your choice. Other great options include Gouda, cheddar, Colby or Monterrey Jack.
- Salt: I’m using a Himalayan pink but you can also use sea salt or any salt of your choosing.
- Nutmeg: This is a must. Nutmeg in your béchamel takes your sauce into the realm of having *something* special that you can’t put your finger on since it’s just a small touch that doesn’t stand out on its own. The complexity this warming spice adds isn’t something to overlook.
Making this sauce is SO easy. On medium heat, add your butter and allow it to melt (1). While it’s melting, combine half cup of your milk with the potato starch and stir until the potato starch is dissolved into the milk (2). Add the remaining milk to the melted butter and stir until it begins to steam (3), once steaming, add in your potato starch and milk slurry (stir before adding it to agitate any granules that may have settled) and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken (4).
If you’d like to use a gluten-free flour blend, then make yourself a roux by adding the gf flour to the melted butter and mixing it into a thickened paste. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes until it just starts to turn brown and then whisk in half of your milk. Once it begins to thicken, add in the rest of the milk and continue whisking.
Add in the salt and nutmeg (5) and once mixed in, add in half of your pepper Jack cheese and stir until melted, before stirring in the remaining half of the cheese (6).
The end result is a pot of this luxuriously thick and creamy sauce that’s slightly spicy and perfectly balanced. Remove your pot from the heat and set it aside.
And with that all our elements are done! Next we need to…
Assemble your Lasagna
Get your 5 elements ready since we’ll be using them all for our layering.
Start by placing a thin layer of your meat sauce into the bottom of your 9×13 baking dish. This is critical to help the bottom layer of pasta cook properly and to keep the bottom from burning and/or sticking. Also, set aside 6 oz of your cheese, this will be used for the top layer so we want to be sure we have enough. Next comes the fun part.
Layer your lasagna by alternating pasta >> meat sauce >> bits of sausage >> cheese sauce >> a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
Repeat these layers 3-4 times until everything is used up. For the final layer use the 6oz of shredded cheese we set aside at the beginning.
Bake your Lasagna
With your lasagna layered and ready we’re going to place it onto a baking sheet and bake it on the middle rack at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
Once baked, turn off your oven and let your lasagna cool for 20-30 minutes. This is critical in helping it to set so that when you cut into it and serve it it holds its shape and layers and doesn’t just spread and fall apart.
Once cooled cut your lasagna into 8 pieces. I know this might seem like a small portion but trust us that the lentil pasta is VERY filling and the combined richness of the bechamel and meat and veggie packed ragù will keep you satiated.
All that’s left to do is plate and serve. You can finish your plate with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some finely chopped fresh basil. You can’t tell me the above image doesn’t make you want to just slide your fork in and scoop up a mouthful. 🤤 Buon appetito!
Kitrusy’s Gluten-Free Lasagna
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 9-12 sheets green lentil no boil Pasta 3 sheets a layer
Cheese:
- 8 oz mozzarella grated
- 8 oz colby cheese grated
Sausage:
- 1 lb Hot Italian sausage casings removed
Red Meat Sauce:
- 1 tbsp extra light olive oil
- ½ med onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tsp fine thyme leaves only sticks removed
- ½ tsp Himalayan salt more to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp raw cane sugar finely blended, or honey
- 2 med carrots minced
- 1 cup butternut squash diced
- ½ cup fresh Brussels sprouts minced (optional)
- 1 bunch raw spinach chopped (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 15 oz tomato sauce plain and unseasoned
- ½ cup chicken bone broth or stock
White Cheese Sauce:
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 3 tbsp potato starch or Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 2½ cups Whole Milk
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 8 oz Pepper Jack Cheese grated and at room temp
Instructions
Cook the Sausage:
- To a large pot, add the Italian sausage and break it up into crumbles. Cook on med-high heat until the pieces are browned.
- Remove the cooked crumbles from the pot and set it aside. Leave the drippings in the pot.
Make the Red Meat Sauce:
- To the pot you just cooked the sausage in, add the tbsp of extra light olive oil along with the diced onion and garlic. Once fragrant, add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink.
- Mix in the seasonings: thyme, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar and let cook an additional two minutes.
- Add in the parsley and all your prepped vegetables - carrots, butternut squash and optional spinach and/or Brussels sprouts. Cook for two more minutes.
- Add in your stock/broth and tomato sauce and reduce the heat to low. Allow your meat sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes, covered. Turn off the heat and allow it to rest.
Make the White Cheese Sauce:
- To a saucepan add your butter and melt on med heat.
- If using potato starch: Stir the potato starch into half cup of milk until dissolved. Pour the rest of the milk into the melted butter and once it begins to steam, whisk in your potato starch/milk slurry, whisking continuously until it begins to thicken.If using a Gluten-free Flour blend: Add the flour to the butter and allow to cook for a few minutes until slightly browned. Then pour in your milk and stir until it begins to thicken.
- Mix in your salt, black pepper and ground nutmeg.
- Add in half (4oz) of the pepper jack cheese and stir until it is melted and incorporated into the sauce. Then add in the remaining half of the cheese and stir until you have a silky smooth sauce. (see notes)
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Combine your shredded Mozzarella and Colby cheese together and set aside 6oz of it.
- To a 9x13 dish, add in a thin layer of your meat sauce to the bottom of the dish.Top it with the following order of elements: Lasagna sheets, meat sauce, a scattering of Italian sausage chunks, cheese sauce, a scattering of shredded cheese. Repeat this layering 3-4 times until you've used up all your elements. For the final layer top with 6oz of the cheese you set aside.
- Bake your lasagna in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. If you notice the top beginning to brown too quickly you can tent it with a piece of foil. Once done, remove it from the oven (or you can leave it in the oven with the heat turned off) and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into 8 pieces.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano and fresh parsley if desired and enjoy.
Storage:
- Fridge: Allow any leftovers to cool to room temperature before you either cover the baking dish with foil or place the leftover pieces in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave by placing a piece onto a micro-wave safe plate and heating for 2 minutes or by re-baking the pieces in the baking dish at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes.Freezer: You can prep your lasagna and freeze it before or after baking it. To do so simply wrap the baking dish in foil and place it into a freezer-safe plastic bag. Freeze for up to three months before baking and enjoying.
Reheating:
- Whole from frozen: For the whole dish, place your frozen, foil covered lasagna into an oven preheated to 350°F and bake for 45 minutes before removing the foil and baking an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.Whole from thawed: Let your frozen lasagna thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake it the next day at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes.Single piece from frozen: Let your individual piece thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about an hour, then you can either microwave it for 1-2 minutes or bake it for 10-15 minutes at 350°F.
Notes
- A great combination of cheeses to use include Pepper Jack, mozzarella, Colby, provolone, Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or asiago.
- Ensure your cheese isn't too cold when you're adding it into the cheese sauce or it can shock the sauce and cause your sauce to have a grainy texture.
- Since we're using a no-bake pasta, ensure your meat sauce has a bit more liquid to it, this is essential in allowing the pasta to absorb and cook through.
Nutrition
