Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Lasagna

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You won’t be able to resist this gluten-free dairy-free lasagna. What makes this 10-ingredient recipe is the creamy cashew mushroom sauce that replaces cheese. It’s so good you won’t miss the cheese!

Food allergies are so common the desire for tasty allergy-friendly recipes has grown. I know that has been the case for me. If you want more gluten-free recipes, these Pressure Cooker Pasta and Chocolate No-Bake Cookies may be for you. 

This Gluten-free Dairy-free Lasagna recipe is easy to make with a bit of prep. However, you’ll find there are two time-saving steps in the prep. Just like other lasagna recipes, this lasagna can be made ahead and put directly in the oven after work!

Here’s What You need For Gluten Free Dairy Free Lasagna

Ingredients

• Vegetable broth (You will use this for both the cream sauce and for sauteing.)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons jarred)
• 16 ounces mushrooms, chopped (You can use a mix of different mushrooms I like baby Bellas and shitake together.) 
• a pound of sausage (Italian sausage is perfect for this recipe because of the robust flavors of the Italian seasoning. If you do not have sausage ground beef can be used.)
• tamari or coconut aminos (in this recipe I prefer Tamari because it is less sweet than coconut aminos)
• dried thyme 
• 1 ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for a few hours (overnight is best), drained 
• 3 big handfuls of spinach (This is the same as 3 heaping cups.)
• 10 ounces oven-ready gluten-free lasagna noodles (I use Barilla Gluten Free Oven-Ready Lasagne.)
• 2 – 24 ounce jars of marinara or spaghetti sauce (Use your favorite premade marinara sauce or make your own.)

Needed Kitchen Equipment

Following is the kitchen equipment needed to make this gluten-free dairy free lasagna recipe. Affiliate links are included in this section for some of my favorite equipment.

• Blender (If you don’t have a blender you can use a food processor to make the cashew cream sauce.)
• 2 – 12″ skillets (You’ll need a skillet for both the meat sauce and the mushroom filling.)
• wooden or bamboo spoon
• measuring spoons
• 9×13-inch baking dish
• sharp knife
• cutting board

How to make Lasagna Gluten-free Dairy-Free

There are three parts to this gluten and dairy-free lasagne recipe. You will be making a:

• tomato sauce-based meat sauce,
• a dairy-free cheese (home-made cashew cream) and mushroom filling, and
• layering and baking the lasagna.

Preparing to Make the Cashews for the cream sauce

To make the cream sauce soak 1-1/4 cups of cashews in cold water for at least 4 hours and can leave it overnight. Soaking the cashews is absolutely necessary for ensuring a creamier sauce. The longer you soak them the softer they get and the creamier your sauce will be. 

Just before making the lasagna, drain the cashews well and dump the liquid. You do not want to use any of the liquid when cooking. This is because the liquid will contain phytic acid which can prevent the absorption of valuable nutrients.

Combine the cashews and veggie broth in a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. This might take up to 5 minutes, depending on the speed and power of your blender. Set the cream aside until needed.

Making the Meat Sauce for the Lasagna

In a large skillet, brown the sausage. Once cooked, drain the fat from the skillet.

Next, stir in both jars of marinara sauce. Let the meat sauce simmer for 10 minutes. 

Making the Mushroom filling

In a large skillet, sauté garlic with 1 tablespoon of vegetable broth (or oil) until it becomes fragrant. This will take about a minute. 

Add the mushrooms, tamari (or coconut amines), and thyme. Cook the mushrooms for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mushrooms release their water and a little broth starts to form. While the mushrooms are cooking stir every minute or so.

Pour the cashew sauce into the pan with the mushrooms.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple of minutes to let the sauce thicken, stirring frequently.

Rough chop the spinach and add it to the mushroom mixture. Continue stirring the dairy free filling mixture for another minute.

Putting the GluteN-Free Dairy-Free Lasagna Together

When layering the lasagna you won’t be adding any cheese. The cashew cream sauce in the mushroom filling replaces the cheese. With the rich creamy flavor, you’ll all but forget about the cheese.

Also, when you use oven-ready lasagna noodles they will absorb liquid from the pasta sauce. This not only cooks the pasta but infuses loads of flavor into the noodles.

• Spread a third of the marinara with meat sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. 
• Add a layer of gluten-free lasagne noodles. 
• Cover the noodles with half of the dairy-free mushroom cream filling.
• Add a layer of noodles. 
• Use another third of the meat sauce to cover these noodles. 
• Add the remaining mushroom cream filling. 
• Add the last layer of noodles and cover it with the remaining meat sauce.

Once you have added all of the layers, cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, checking to make sure noodles are soft. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

If you are wanting some more gluten-free and dairy-free recipes, try these meatballs and dairy-free pancakes recipes.

I hope you enjoy this gluten-free and dairy-free Italian casserole as my family does. Also, if you have a favorite allergy-friendly recipe, please share it with me in the comments.

5 from 3 votes

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Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Lasagna

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword allergy friendly, best recipes, casserole, dairy free, gluten free, ground beef, lasagna, pasta

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Soak Time for Cashews 4 hours

Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 300 kcal

Author Cindy Hopper

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable broth or oil (use approximately 1 tablespoon for sautéing)
• 4 cloves garlic minced (about 4 teaspoons jarred)
• 16 ounces mushrooms chopped (you can use a mix of different mushrooms)
• 1 pound sausage
• 1 ½ tablespoon tamari or coconut amines
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 ¼ cup raw cashews soaked in water for a few hours (overnight is best), drained
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 3 cups fresh spinach (or 3 big handfuls) roughly chopped
• 10 ounces gluten-free oven ready lasagna noodles https://www.barilla.com/en-us/products/pasta/gluten-free/gluten-free-oven-ready-lasagne
• 48 ounces marinara sauce (2-24 ounce jars or 6 cups)

Instructions

Initial Preparation

1. Before you prepared the rest of this recipe, soak the cashews in cold water for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. After soaking the cashews, be sure to drain off all of the liquid and dispose of it.

2. Combine the cashews and veggie broth in a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. This might take up to 5 minutes, depending on the speed and power of your blender. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Meat Sauce

1. Brown and drain sausage, stir in marinara sauces. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. While simmering, make the mushroom filling.

Mushroom Filling

1. In a large skillet, sauté garlic with 1 tablespoon of vegetable broth (or oil) until it becomes fragrant. This will take about a minute.
2. Add the mushrooms, tamari (or coconut aminos), and thyme. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mushrooms release their water and a little broth starts to form.
3. Pour the cashew sauce into the pan with the mushrooms. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple minutes to let the sauce thicken, stirring frequently. Throw in the spinach and stir for another minute.

Putting the Lasagna Together

1. Spread a third of the marinara sauce on the bottom of an 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Add a layer of noodles.
3. Cover the noodles with half of the mushroom cream
4. Add a layer of noodles.
5. Use another third of the marinara to cover these noodles.
6. Add the remaining mushroom cream.
7. Add the last layer of noodles and cover it with the remaining marinara sauce.
8. Cover with foil; bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, checking to make sure noodles are soft. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Soaking the cashews is absolutely necessary for ensuring a creamier sauce. The longer you soak them the softer they get and the creamier your sauce will be. 

Be sure to drain the cashews well and do not use any of the liquid when cooking. The liquid off of the cashews will contain phytic acid that can prevent our bodies from absorbing nutrients, like calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium and manganese.

 

 

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Lasagna

Amount Per Serving

Calories 300 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 33mg11%

Sodium 1161mg50%

Potassium 890mg25%

Carbohydrates 21g7%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 1550IU31%

Vitamin C 14mg17%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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