Weeknight Lasagna (GF & DF Options)
Growing up I never liked lasagna because I didn’t like ricotta cheese. Later I learned that was because I was only ever being fed “low-fat” ricotta cheese – which is far less superior! Now I always buy full fat ricotta and it makes this dish delicious.
This is not an authentic lasagna. I am not Italian and I do not claim to know how to properly cook Italian dishes. If you’re looking for something more legitimate, try Samin Nosrat‘s recipe. It has a bechamel sauce, no meat, and homemade noodles. It looks divine.
I call this a bastardized “quick” lasagna that can be made on a weeknight and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. My old meal prep clients LOVED this dish, especially the dairy free version for those who did not eat dairy.
This lasagna feeds a crowd and is perfect for dinner parties!
Servings: about 8-9
Ingredients:
-1 lb organic ground beef*
-1 lb spicy Italian sausage*
-32 oz marinara sauce of choice (I always use Rao’s)
-Gluten free oven-ready lasagna noodles
-15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese OR cashew ricotta (see below)
-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (use 1 cup DF mozz if doing DF)
-1 egg
-Optional add-in veggies (all diced finely for best results): bell pepper, zucchini, asparagus, spinach, etc. If you’re not doing low-FODMAP, I’d highly recommend mushrooms & onions!
*OR 2 lbs ground meat of choice OR 2 cans of lentils, to make this vegetarian
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Brown both meats in a large deep skillet on the stove at medium heat. Add a little salt if desired.
3. Add in your optional diced veggies here. Cook down until soft.
4. Stir in marinara and mix well. Turn heat to low.
5. Mix your egg and ricotta together in a bowl. Set aside.
6. Spread some of your meat sauce out onto the dish you are using, covering the bottom.
7. Place uncooked lasagna noodles down in one layer, covering the meat sauce.
8. Spread half of the ricotta mixture out over the noodles. Top with a little more meat sauce.
9. Add another layer of noodles, followed by another layer of ricotta, and another layer of meat sauce. Continue this pattern until you’ve used everything up. I made thin layers and got 3 full layers, ending with meat sauce.
10. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan over the top of the lasagna dish. If you’re doing this DF, use a dairy free shredded mozzarella and skip the parm!
11. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum and bake another 10-15 minutes. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
To make this dish dairy free, use cashew ricotta. I got this recipe from my co-worker Abby!
Ingredients:
-2 cups cashews
-1/2 cup almond milk
-Juice of half a lemon
-Salt & pepper
Flash boil the cashews in 2 cups of water for about 20 minutes – until water is nearly gone. Strain and add cashews and remaining ingredients to a high powered blender or food processor. Process until a creamy consistency forms. Use this in place of whole milk ricotta in your lasagna!
Weeknight Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef see note
- 1 lb spicy Italian sausage see note
- 32 oz marinara or tomato sauce
- 1 box no-boil oven ready lasagna sheets gluten free or wheat work
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta for dairy free, see note
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella dairy or dairy-free
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese dairy or dairy-free
- 1 egg
- Optional: sauteed zucchini, onion, spinach, mushrooms, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Brown both meats in a large deep skillet on the stove at medium heat. Add a little salt if desired.
- Add in your optional diced veggies here. Cook down until soft.
- Stir in marinara and mix well. Turn heat to low.
- Mix your egg and ricotta together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Spread some of your meat sauce out onto the dish you are using, covering the bottom.
- Place uncooked lasagna noodles down in one layer, covering the meat sauce.
- Spread half of the ricotta mixture out over the noodles. Top with a little more meat sauce.
- Add another layer of noodles, followed by another layer of ricotta, and another layer of meat sauce. Continue this pattern until you’ve used everything up. I made thin layers and got 3 full layers, ending with meat sauce.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan over the top of the lasagna dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum and bake another 10-15 minutes. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
-2 cups cashews
-1/2 cup almond milk
-Juice of half a lemon
-Salt & pepper Flash boil the cashews in 2 cups of water for about 20 minutes – until water is nearly gone. Strain and add cashews and remaining ingredients to a high powered blender or food processor. Process until a creamy consistency forms. Use this in place of whole milk ricotta in your lasagna!