Gluten-Free Lasagna with Hearty Tomato-Meat Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 24, 2019
Time
2¼ hours, plus 15 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Noodles and Sauce
12 gluten-free lasagna noodles (10 ounces)Salt and pepper 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained1 onion, chopped fine6 garlic cloves, minced1 pound meatloaf mix ¼ cup heavy cream 1 (28-ounce) can tomato pureeFilling
16 ounces (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese 2 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ¼ cups)½ cup chopped fresh basil 1 large egg, lightly beaten½ teaspoon salt ½ pepper 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (4 cups)Before You Begin
If you can’t find meatloaf mix, you can substitute 8 ounces each of 85 percent lean ground beef and ground pork. You can use whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella and ricotta in this recipe. If using gluten-free lasagna noodles, be careful not to overcook the noodles or they can fall apart when handled.
Instructions
- For the noodles and sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add lasagna noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until just tender. Drain noodles, return to pot, and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Spread oiled noodles out on baking sheet; set aside.
- Pulse diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 pulses. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in meatloaf mix, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add cream, bring to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only rendered fat remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in processed diced tomatoes and tomato puree, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has thickened and is reduced to about 6 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)
- For the filling: Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in bowl.
- Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish (avoiding larger pieces of meat). Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spread each noodle evenly with 3 tablespoons ricotta mixture and sprinkle entire layer with 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon 11/2 cups meat sauce over top. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining 1 cup sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and edges are just bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Time
2¼ hours, plus 15 minutes coolingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Noodles and Sauce
Filling
Ingredients
Noodles and Sauce
Filling
Ingredients
Noodles and Sauce
Filling
Why This Recipe Works
As with wheat noodles, you have two options—no-boil and boil-before-use—when selecting among the various gluten-free options. No-boil noodles, a standard in the test kitchen when it comes to making traditional lasagna, failed us in the gluten-free universe. These noodles varied drastically from brand to brand. They came out unevenly cooked, gummy, starchy, or brittle, or they completely disintegrated. Old-fashioned boil-before-use noodles produced more consistent results, with tender noodles that held up in the oven. Still, our preferred noodles were more delicate than the traditional ones, so we made sure to boil them only until just tender, and we opted for a sauce with a smooth consistency to avoid chunks that might weigh down and break apart the noodles in the assembled casserole. Prepared along with a classic ricotta filling, this lasagna impressed everyone in the test kitchen.
Before You Begin
If you can’t find meatloaf mix, you can substitute 8 ounces each of 85 percent lean ground beef and ground pork. You can use whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella and ricotta in this recipe. If using gluten-free lasagna noodles, be careful not to overcook the noodles or they can fall apart when handled.
Instructions
- For the noodles and sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add lasagna noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until just tender. Drain noodles, return to pot, and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Spread oiled noodles out on baking sheet; set aside.
- Pulse diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 pulses. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in meatloaf mix, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add cream, bring to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only rendered fat remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in processed diced tomatoes and tomato puree, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has thickened and is reduced to about 6 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)
- For the filling: Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in bowl.
- Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish (avoiding larger pieces of meat). Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spread each noodle evenly with 3 tablespoons ricotta mixture and sprinkle entire layer with 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon 11/2 cups meat sauce over top. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining 1 cup sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and edges are just bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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