Gluten Free White Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

Incoming unpopular opinion: the original lasagna born in Naples was much more similar to my gluten free white lasagna with spinach and mushrooms than the image you conjure in your head with meats and tomato sauce. Actually, that’s a fact.

The storied beginnings of lasagna, or lasagne, date back to the 13th century, before Europeans even had tomatoes. In fact, the first recipes of lasagna likely used some sort of béchamel sauce and a myriad of vegetables. Meat was not introduced until the Renaissance when the recipe made it’s way outside of Italy. And then finally, 300 years from the origins of lasagna, tomatoes were introduced in the 16th century.

So yeah, my version is the true classic. Not the comfort casserole we all know and love today, which is still pretty great. My version sticks to the roots but makes some updates for ease of preparation and deliciousness. Instead of those curly pasta sheets that require preboiling, I am using a no boil gluten free version (gluten filled would work just as well), which is thinner and cooks to perfection under a pool of béchamel sauce. And I promise you won’t miss the meat with plenty of cheese, spinach, and mushrooms taking it’s place in this delicious masterpiece. I am sure my dude, Garfield (the cat not the president), would agree and would certainly devour it.

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients:

1 – 8 ounce package of gluten free no boil lasagna noodles – This one worked very well

2 – 14 ounce packages of frozen spinach

2 cups of mushrooms, diced finely

1/2 onion, diced finely

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup, (plus a little extra for the top!) fresh parsley, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Thai red chilis, minced

1/2 cup mozzarella

1/2 cup parmesan

2 teaspoons each of basil and oregano, divided

For the Béchamel Sauce:

5 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup gluten free flour (like Bob’s)

3 roasted garlic cloves, smushed

4 cups of milk + 1/4 cup for cooking

2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. Thaw spinach in a sieve. Once it is thawed, give it good squeeze in an attempt to remove all of the water.
2. In a large stock pot, add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes on medium high heat until translucent.
3. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté with the onions until they are reduced by about half or another 5 – 10 minutes.
4. Add in the fresh garlic and red chili pepper and allow to cook for another minute before adding in the spinach and at least one teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
5. Add in 1/4 cup of parsley, and 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano, Stir to combine and once the parsley is blending in with the spinach, remove from the heat and set aside in a bowl.
6. In a separate mixing bowl, add the ricotta, at least 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of each basil and oregano, 1/4 cup parsley, and the parmesan cheese. Mix it together until smooth.
7. In yet another small bowl, scramble the egg. Add it to the ricotta mixture and mix to combine.
8. Now, it is time to pre-heat your oven to 375F and start that béchamel sauce. In the same large pot you used to cook the spinach and mushrooms, add the butter and allow to melt. Once it is melted, whisk in the flour, taking care not to burn it. Slowly whisk in the milk, adding 1/2 to 1 cup at a time and allowing the mixture to thicken in between pours. Once you have added all of the milk and the sauce is creamy, add in the 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine and remove it from the heat.
9. To assemble the gluten free white lasagna, spray a 13×9 baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup of milk to the bottom of the baking dish and lay down the first layer of lasagna noodles. On top of the noodles layer the spinach, ricotta, and then the béchamel. Continue layering until you run out of ingredients, My last layer before the noodle topping was only béchamel and bit of ricotta.
10. The final layer should be noodles and then the rest of the béchamel. Don’t be shy; it’s going to be a lot. Top that layer with 1/2 cup mozzarella and any leftover parsley.
11. Spray some aluminum foil with non stick cooking spray and cover the lasagna with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake for 50 minutes covered.
12. Remove the foil and crank the heat to 425F and place the lasagna back in the oven for a final 10 minutes. Once it is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it and diving into those delicious squares.

If you like this gluten free white lasagna with spinach and mushrooms, be sure to try my gluten free air fryer chicken parmesan! Or, if you don’t have time for all of this, try my gluten free skillet lasagna.