Family Favorites - September 2019: Gluten-Free Lasagna (Wheat, Soy, Fish, Nut and Egg-Free, Can Be Milk-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the ninth Family Favorites recipe of 2019.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free Lasagna.  This is essentially my Simple Lasagna recipe made gluten-free with a few other hints and tips added in.

Lasagna is definitely a huge family favorite in this house.  It's the dish that I need to quite literally make 2 pans of to have leftovers (Did I mention I have 2 teenage boys and a 9 year old daughter?).  This recipe is so extremely simple, too, and easy to customize.  It is also wheat, soy, fish, nut and egg-free (if all your ingredients are), and can also be milk-free (see variations).  Win-win!

Simple Lasagna

 12 to 16 gluten-free lasagna noodles (depending on the size of your pan)

(We use Tinkyada brand noodles whenever possible.)

1 lb. ground chuck or venison

(We almost always use ground chuck.)

salt (optional)

 (We always use this.)

ground black pepper (optional)

(We always use this.)

1 jar (23.75 oz. size) of your favorite soy-free, gluten-free spaghetti sauce

(We use whatever soy-free, gluten-free brand is on sale, but our favorite type to use is a marinara type.)

12 to 16 gluten-free lasagna noodles (depending on the size of your pan)

(We use Tinkyada brand noodles whenever possible.)

4 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

parsley flakes (optional)
(We nearly always use this.)

oregano (optional)

(We nearly always use this.)


1. Pre-heat oven to 350^oF.

2. Fill a large pot with hot water, and add the pasta and let the pasta sit in the hot water until you are ready to layer the lasagna. (Note: The water does not need to be boiling, but it does need to be hot, and your noodles need to be completely submerged in the water.  You can choose to skip this step, but the noodles may not end up as soft as you'd like them to.  I do NOT recommend cooking the noodles fully in boiling water, however, because they definitely get too soft if the noodles are cooked through before baking.)

3. Season the meat with salt and pepper, if desired, and brown it in a large skillet until cooked through.

4. Drain meat, return to skillet, add the spaghetti sauce and mix well.

5. Strain the pasta and set aside.

7. Place some of the meat sauce (about 1/5 of it) on the bottom of either a 13x9 or 11x8 pan (greasing the pan is not necessary, but you can if you wish).

8. Next, place a layer of pasta noodles (3 to 4 noodles side-by-side; whatever it takes to fill up the pan width-wise), then a layer of sauce, and lastly a layer of cheese (about 1 Cup) in the pan.

9. Continue layering in the same fashion for 4 layers, ending with the rest of the cheese. (Note: If you want to cut back on the amount of cheese or sauce, that's fine. Personal preference should always win here. :) )

10. Top the lasagna with a sprinkling of parsley flakes and oregano, if desired, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until lasagna is bubbly and cheese is browned.

Makes 12 to 24 servings, depending on how big you cut the pieces.

Variations (Please keep individual allergen needs in mind when using variations!):

• Make Ahead: This lasagna can be made ahead and either frozen or refrigerated until time to make it. If making it from frozen, though, please note that the cooking time will increase by at least 1/2 an hour.
    
• Milk-Free: Use a dairy-free cheese in place of the mozzarella.  Daiya makes an excellent dairy-free cheese!  You will also need to make sure your sauce is dairy-free.
    
• Different Cheeses: You can use any combo of cheese you like - mozzarella, cojack, Gouda, Monterrey Jack, Parmesan, etc.  I don't recommend a soft cheese, however, as it would greatly effect the texture of the dish.  If you want to add ricotta or cottage cheese to the layers, you can do that as well.  You can either add the ricotta/cottage cheese to every layer or every other layer - whatever you desire.
    
• Meatless: You can leave the meat out or use mushrooms in place of the meat, if desired.
   
• Different Meats: You can add in mushrooms, use ground sausage in place of or in addition to the meat, or even use cooked and shredded chicken.  The options are endless!  You can even add in pepperoni and/or other pizza toppings to give your lasagna a more pizza flavor.  The choice is yours!

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!