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Gluten-Free Spinach and Tomato Lasagna

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 15, 2019

Time

2¼ hours, plus 15 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Gluten-Free Spinach and Tomato Lasagna

Ingredients

20 ounces frozen chopped spinach 12 gluten-free lasagna noodles (10 ounces)Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped fine5 garlic cloves, minced⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 16 ounces (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ½ cups)2 large eggs 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)

Before You Begin

You can thaw the spinach overnight in the refrigerator instead of microwaving it, but do warm the spinach liquid to help smooth the ricotta. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Microwave spinach in large bowl, covered, until thawed, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Squeeze spinach dry, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Pulse spinach in food processor until ground, 8 to 10 pulses, scraping down bowl every few pulses. Wipe out large bowl with paper towels. Transfer spinach to now-empty bowl; set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 5 teaspoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup processed spinach, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 3 tablespoons basil.
  4. Process reserved spinach liquid and ricotta in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 3 tablespoons basil, Parmesan, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and process until combined. Stir ricotta mixture into remaining spinach.
  5. Spread 11/4 cups tomato sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture evenly over noodles and sprinkle entire layer with 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spoon 11/4 cups tomato sauce over top. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and tomato sauce two more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
  6. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer. Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Gluten-Free Spinach and Tomato Lasagna
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Ashley Moore.

Gluten-Free Spinach and Tomato Lasagna

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

2¼ hours, plus 15 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

20 ounces frozen chopped spinach
12 gluten-free lasagna noodles (10 ounces)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 ounces (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ½ cups)
2 large eggs
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)

Ingredients

20 ounces frozen chopped spinach
12 gluten-free lasagna noodles (10 ounces)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 ounces (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ½ cups)
2 large eggs
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)

Ingredients

20 ounces frozen chopped spinach
12 gluten-free lasagna noodles (10 ounces)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 ounces (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ½ cups)
2 large eggs
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)

Why This Recipe Works

To make the greens the star, we stirred some chopped spinach into a basic tomato sauce. Frozen spinach worked just as well as fresh and was easier since it didn’t require washing. Next came the classic ricotta layer. Here was another opportunity to add spinach by adding it to the ricotta-egg mixture. We spread our spinach-packed ricotta between layers of noodles and tomato sauce and moved our casserole to the oven. Even though the spinach was already chopped, with so much of it in the lasagna, the texture was noticeably uneven. To avoid clumps of spinach, we used the food processor to chop it into small pieces. The ricotta layer also seemed a little thick and dry. Reserving some of the liquid from draining the spinach and then adding it to the ricotta mixture boosted the spinach flavor of the whole lasagna and also helped make the ricotta mixture easier to spread. Since we had the food processor out for the spinach, we tried processing the ricotta with the eggs and spinach liquid before stirring in the spinach. This extra step was worth it; the ricotta mixture became appealingly smooth and creamy.

Before You Begin

You can thaw the spinach overnight in the refrigerator instead of microwaving it, but do warm the spinach liquid to help smooth the ricotta. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Microwave spinach in large bowl, covered, until thawed, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Squeeze spinach dry, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Pulse spinach in food processor until ground, 8 to 10 pulses, scraping down bowl every few pulses. Wipe out large bowl with paper towels. Transfer spinach to now-empty bowl; set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 5 teaspoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup processed spinach, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 3 tablespoons basil.
  4. Process reserved spinach liquid and ricotta in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 3 tablespoons basil, Parmesan, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and process until combined. Stir ricotta mixture into remaining spinach.
  5. Spread 11/4 cups tomato sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture evenly over noodles and sprinkle entire layer with 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spoon 11/4 cups tomato sauce over top. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and tomato sauce two more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
  6. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer. Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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