Kitrusy's Gluten-Free Lasagna

5 from 6 votes

Kitrusy's Gluten-Free Lasagna

Loaded with flavor from all elements, this lasagna has a few "not-so-secret" flavor bombs and a lot of "hidden veggies" making it not only clean eating and gluten-free, but healthy too!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time2

Course: Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 902kcal

Author: Kitrusy

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