Easy gluten free veggie lasagna is the kind of dinner that feels impressive but is secretly very low effort. There is no precooking of pasta noodles, spinach or veggies. Everything gets layered and baked as is. It is comforting, great for weeknights and completely gluten free. No extra steps and no extra stress.
I'm all about comfort food with more veggies. I mean, have you tried my gluten free sweet potato brownies? Sooo good! I'm also all about making things easier. If you already have homemade marinara sauce or use a good jarred sauce, nothing in this vegetable lasagna needs to be precooked. No boiling lasagna noodles. No pre cooking spinach or veggies. We just slice, layer and bake. Lasagna already takes long enough in the oven, so there's no need to overcomplicate the prep. The trick is using vegetables that soften easily with heat and slicing them thinly. That cuts out a ton of work and gives you more layers of flavor in the end.
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Ingredients
- Homemade marinara sauce or store bought pasta sauce
- Gluten free no-boil lasagna noodles
- Ricotta cheese
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Fresh spinach
- Salt
- Bread dipping seasoning or Italian seasoning
- Garlic
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for layering veggie lasagna
Lasagna is all about the layers, and this no meat, vegetable version is no exception.
Step 1: Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom.
Step 2: Add a layer of no boil lasagna noodles over the sauce. If needed, overlap or break the noodles to fully over the sauce.
Step 3: Spread half of the ricotta cheese evenly over the noodles.
Step 4: Add a layer of zucchini slices, overlapping them to cover the ricotta completely.
Step 5: Next, add a layer of mushrooms covering all of the zucchini.
Step 6: Then add a double layer of fresh spinach on top of the mushrooms. Pack the spinach down tight.
Step 7: Add 1 cup of pasta sauce over the spinach and spread it evenly.
Step 8: Repeat with another layer of noodles, zucchini, mushrooms and sauce. (I like to do one double layer of spinach, but you could split the spinach into two layers.) Then top with mozzarella cheese and it's ready to bake.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until all the cheese has melted. I like the edges extra crispy, so I bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes or longer before slicing.
Substitutions and Variations
- Regular noodles - you can substitute regular no-boil lasagna noodles for the no-boil gluten free noodles. Regular noodles also work great with this recipe.
- Spinach - you can use frozen spinach that's been thawed or cooked if you don't want to use fresh spinach.
- Meat - yes, you can add meat or a meat substitute. But give no meat lasagna a try first, you might be surprised at how much you don't even miss the meat. Meat is getting super expensive lately. If you use meat or a meat substitute, mix it in with the pasta sauce.
- Vegan - to make this recipe vegan, use whipped tofu (like in my whipped tofu ricotta recipe) or vegan ricotta as well as vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan cheese. Or skip the vegan parmesan cheese. If we're being honest, I have yet to find a really good vegan parmesan cheese.
Storage
Store vegetable lasagna covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze vegetable lasagna. To reheat a pan of leftover lasagna from a refrigerated state, use the same baking instructions as the original recipe. Or you can microwave smaller portions.
Next Level Tips
- Serve vegetable lasagna with a nice salad, some gluten free baked or grilled garlic bread or a side of bread with bread dipping seasoning in olive oil.
- I love making seasoning blends that have multiple uses. No one has the time or space for single use seasoning blends anymore. My bread dipping seasoning is a great substitute for Italian seasoning.
- Slice all the vegetables as thinly as possible. For the zucchini, use a mandolin if you have one. For the mushrooms, use large mushrooms if you can and slice them with a knife as thinly as possible.
- Fresh spinach is a lot easier to use than frozen spinach but it takes up a lot of room. Pack it down tightly before adding the next layer.
- Spreading the ricotta on the noodles while they are in the baking dish can be a pain. Sometimes I spread the ricotta on the noodles while I am holding them before I add the noodles to the pan. Just do it carefully!
- For an extra cheesy version, add another layer of cheese after the spinach.
- Lasagna is one of the few foods that tastes better the next day. I love lasagna leftovers! Just re-heat with the same instructions as the original bake or microwave it in smaller portions.
FAQ
Absolutely! This recipe is easily adaptable. If your baking pan has more room, add more veggies. I intentionally left out carrots and onions. I've tried them in the past, and they don't soften enough without being precooked. Even if you use a mandolin on the lowest setting to get super thin carrots, they still don't get soft enough without precooking them.
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with veggie lasagna:
Gluten Free Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 cups homemade marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- 8-12 sheets gluten free no-boil lasagna noodles
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons bread dipping seasoning or Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cloves garlic optional
- 1 ½ large zucchinis thinly sliced
- 12 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
- 4 cups fresh spinach (about 5 ounces)
- 2 to 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
- ¼ to ½ cup parmesan cheese optional
- chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Slice the veggies. Mix the extra salt, bread dipping seasoning and garlic (if using) into the pasta sauce.
- Spread 1 cup of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom, then arrange a layer of no boil lasagna noodles on top, overlapping or breaking them as needed to fully cover the sauce.
- Spread half of the ricotta cheese over the noodles. Add a layer of zucchini slices, overlapping slightly to cover the ricotta, then top with an even layer of mushrooms.
- Add all the fresh spinach (a double layer) over the mushrooms and press it down firmly. Spoon 1 cup of pasta sauce over the spinach and spread it evenly.
- Repeat with another layer of noodles, zucchini, mushrooms, and sauce. Finish with the mozzarella cheese.
- Lightly cover (or slightly tent if the pan is very full) with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted. For crispier edges, bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using. Let the lasagna rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with parsley just before serving, if desired. Enjoy!
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Sandi says
This is an incredible recipe and I can’t wait to make it. Thank you!
Tracy @ Next Level Baker says
Thank you! I hope you like it. It's really good!