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Family Favorite Lasagna (Real Food, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

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Boy, oh boy...this is a good one!  Lasagna was certainly one of my favorite dishes to make and eat because for a little work, it made plenty and was great to count on leftovers or share with friends. Once we went gluten and dairy-free, I assumed I would never be able to make this beloved dish again.

You see, while commercial gluten-free noodles are now readily available in most grocery stores (and always online), I was never happy with store-bought dairy-free cheeses.  Not that I tried many, because they are just plain weird.  The texture is never right and forget about the taste!  And I know, I KNOW - dairy-free substitutions for cheese are just that: substitutions.  Close enough to the real thing, but no thanks.

There are plenty of dairy-free cheese recipes available on the internets, but again, I tried a few then gave up because though some recipes were decent enough for me but my family just shook their heads.  And lasagna became a distant dream.

Several months ago, I found Kite Hill almond milk ricotta at a Whole Foods the next town over, gave it a try and cue in a Chandler voice because: Oh.  My.  God.  This stuff is amazing.  A little pricy so it's definitely a treat, but amazing.  And even though I decided to make this dish only once every couple of months, it was being prepared on a nearly monthly basis.  It is that good and totally worth it considering how much my family of four would otherwise spend eating dinner out.

Since trying this ricotta, we have tried Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese and Chive Cream Cheese-style Spread and they are both absolutely delicious.

I have used both Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna noodles and Heartland Gluten-Free Oven Ready Lasagna noodles.  I prefer the oven ready noodles because they are just easier but both provide great results.

And I know someone will ask but no, neither of these brands are considered Paleo due to the grains used but they ARE gluten-free.  So, choose the pasta that will best suit your family or make your own truly Palo noodles.

Thin zucchini slices can be used as noodles but it will make for a watery sauce.  I have used, and loved, thin peeled eggplant slices for the noodles and these do not water down the sauce BUT my sometimes pesky kids still prefer store-bought noodles.


Family Favorite Lasagna

 For the sauce:

  • 1 lb organic ground beef
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon organic cane sugar
  • Ground black pepper to taste

For the filling:
  • 3 8 ounce packages Kite Hill Almond Milk Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 organic eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Additional crushed red pepper flakes, if desired (I always go for it)

For assembling the lasagna:
  • 1 package of gluten-free lasagna noodles, cooked if not using oven-ready noodles (I've used both Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna and Heartland Gluten-Free Oven Ready Lasagna noodles) 


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

To prepare the sauce, set a skillet over medium heat and brown the beef with the onions and garlic. Stir to break up the meat and cook the mixture until the vegetables are softened and the meat is no longer pink - about 7 minutes. Stir in the dried herbs, both tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 8-10 minutes.  Set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, ricotta cheese, parsley, salt and additional red pepper flakes, if using.

In the prepared baking dish, spread about one cup of the meat sauce.  Layer three noodles at the bottom of the dish, followed by one third of the cheese mixture then one third of the remaining meat sauce.  Repeat the layers two more times, ending with the last of the meat sauce.

Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes.

Let the lasagna stand for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

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