Everyone loves a good ol’ lasagna – I mean, how can you go wrong? Although I grew up eating the ground meat lasagna, I still prefer the vegetarian spinach ricotta lasagna any day. My husband is a huge fan of this dish, but I feel it sometimes gets too heavy for me which can result in heart burn. I found that substituting the regular lasagna strips for gluten-free strips has not only tasted better – in my opinion- but it feels much easier on the stomach. For this recipe, we don’t use any flour or create any traditional white sauce layer. You will find that this recipe is a lot easier to make and doesn’t require much care. You can whip this up really quickly if you have the ingredients on hand – especially if using a delicious pre-made pasta sauce. I personally recommend the Classico florentine spinach and cheese sauce you can find at most grocery stores. I prefer this one over others, as it already comes with a generous amount of spinach and cheese blend. Try out this recipe and let me know what you think in the comments. What are some of your favourite sauces?
Spinach and ricotta - gluten-free, vegetarian lasagna
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A vegetarian's delight. This recipe is loaded with vegetables (especially spinach) and delicious cheese blends. My favourite go to recipe for a vegetarian lasagna.
Spinach and ricotta - gluten-free, vegetarian lasagna
Print Recipe
A vegetarian's delight. This recipe is loaded with vegetables (especially spinach) and delicious cheese blends. My favourite go to recipe for a vegetarian lasagna.
In a dish, lay the lasagna strips with boiled water and 1/2 tbsp oil - skip this step if pre-cooked strips or easy oven strips.
In a pan, heat 1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil and add onions and 1/2 tbsp garlic and sautee till soft. Add all the bell peppers and mushrooms and sautee for 2 minutes until water is released. Take out and set aside.
In the same pan, add the spinach and sautee until water is released and spinach is soft. Set aside.
In a bowl, add ricotta cheese, a pinch of salt, whisked egg, a dash of cayenne pepper and italian seasoning. Next, add 3/4 spinach and 1/2 cup fresh parsley. Mix well and set aside.
In a baking pan, pour a 3 tbsp of pasta sauce and coat the bottom layer.
Remove lasagna strips - rinse under cold water to remove starch - then lay them in the pan. In the pasta sauce, add the remaining garlic, 1/4 leftover spinach, a dash of salt, cayenne pepper, and italian seasoning to taste.
Add a layer of the ricotta mixture, then a layer of the pasta sauce topped with some of the sauteed vegetables and parsley, add shredded cheese then another layer of lasagna strips. Repeat from beginning until you reach the last layer. On the top layer pour the pasta sauce and add a blend of mozzarella (or marble) cheese, feta, then parmesan until fully covered. Lastly, top with parsley and italian seasoning.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees, add pasta dish then cover and bake for 20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, heat the oven to broiler settings and place the dish in the top rack without the cover. The cheese should brown a little at the top. Remove and let it settle before cutting and serving. Buon appetite! 🙂
Recipe Notes
To make it easier and faster, use a spinach florentine pasta sauce - available at most grocery stores.
