Life
A Gluten-Free Lasagna Alternative That Will Soon Become Your New Favorite Dish — Get The Easy Recipe
This amazing gluten-free lasagna recipe comes with a personal backstory. My 19th birthday was the first time I heard the word “gluten." It was 2009, and I'd spent the day fantasizing about my celebratory dinner of homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and chocolate cake. But before I could don the princess tiara I'd bought at Claire's (because, duh), my doctor called with bad news: I had Celiac Disease. Pasta-laden birthday meal = no more.
I spent years trying to replicate my mom's lasagna recipe, but found gluten-less noodles too weak for the heavy combination of meat, sauce, and cheese. What I was able to do, however, was repurpose it into a delicious — and easy — baked ziti.
The best thing about this meal? The price. For around $70, you can feed easily feed eight people with this recipe — making it my absolute go-to when hostessing.
Here's What You'll Need:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1-3 garlic cloves, depending on your taste
1 large yellow onion
1.5 lb. of sweet mild sausage
1.5 lb. of ground meat
3.5 cups of meatless Ragu sauce
1.5 lb. of gluten-free penne
1lb. of low-fat ricotta cheese
1lb. of low-fat cottage cheese
1lb. of part-skim, shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Images: Emily Siegel
Sauté The Onions And Garlic
Chop the onion. Add olive oil to your skillet, and heat it over a medium heat. Once the oil is warm, mix in the onion.
Sauté until the onion is translucent, but not brown. Add in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Add The Meat
Squeeze the sausage out of its casing, and add it to the onion/garlic mix. Also mix in the ground meat. (I use turkey for both to give the recipe a healthier spin!)
Season the meat with salt and pepper, then cook the meat over medium heat until totally brown. In the meantime, boil your gluten-free penne. I like Bionaturae.
Mix In The Ragu Sauce
Once the meat is cooked, remove from skillet and strain.
Return the meat to the skillet, cooking at a low heat. Add in the Ragu sauce, and stir well. You’ll want to make sure every piece of meat is coated.
Stir often, and allow the sauce to thicken for 15 minutes.
Pro tip: This sauce can be prepared the day before, and then folded into the ziti the day of your dinner.
Start Layering
Spray the bottom of your casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray before applying a light coating of sauce.
Keep Layering
Add a layer of noodles.
...And Keep Layering
Then add layers of cottage cheese, mozzarella, and ricotta. Keep repeating this order (sauce, noodle, cottage cheese, mozzarella, ricotta) until you’ve reached the top of the dish.
Sprinkle With Cheese
Sprinkle the dish with Parmesan — then it’s oven ready!
Place the uncovered casserole dish in the oven for 45-60 minutes.
