by Bozena Hartley

Created on: September 01, 2010

There are very few casseroles that taste as good as lasagna. In fact, it is so remarkable that we adapted its Italian name to distinguish the dish from all others. Unfortunately, for people with gluten intolerance /celiac disease commercially prepared lasagna is taboo. It contains wheat pasta and possibly other ingredients, such as modified food starch (in sauce and/or cheese mixture). So, unless you make your own lasagna, you may never have the opportunity to enjoy it.

To make your lasagna gluten-free, you have to use gluten-free pasta. There are at least two kinds of lasagna noodles you can use: Tinkyada brand (Brown Rice Lasagne with Rice Bran) or DeBoles brand (Rice Lasagna). The main difference between the two is that DeBoles noodles do not have to be precooked; they are oven-ready. If you have time and desire, you can make your own pasta. One recipe to try: Egg Pasta from the book “Wheat-Free Recipes and Menus” by Carol Fenster. Still, there is nothing wrong with using commercially prepared gluten-free pasta.

A good thing about lasagna is that it can be prepared in many different ways to accommodate individual tastes and preferences. You can choose your own sauce, you can make it meatless and you can vary vegetables according to your likes and mood.

The recipe that follows is a crowd-pleaser. It was tested on both, people with celiac disease (including children) and people who eat “everything.” The benefit of rice pasta is that the lasagna is easier to digest and doesn't give you this heavy-meal feeling the way wheat pasta does.

Gluten-free Spinach Lasagna

1 package (10oz.) gluten-free lasagna noodles

1 large container (15oz. or 16oz.) gluten-free ricotta cheese (try Frigo brand)

2 eggs

2 to 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped (or one 14oz. package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry)

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

4 cups gluten-free spaghetti sauce or 1 jar gluten-free spaghetti sauce diluted with enough water to make 4 cups

1 lb mild Italian sausage, casing removed, cooked and sliced (optional)

Cook noodles according to the package directions. For no-boil lasagna noodles, there is no preparation required. However, keep in mind that they need to absorb moisture to soften. That's why diluted sauce may be a better choice than thick spaghetti sauce. Excess water will be absorbed by the pasta, but the flavor will stay the same.

Mix ricotta cheese and eggs. Add spinach, parsley, 3 cups mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Mix well.

In a large casserole dish (13*9), spread 1 and 1/2 cup sauce and cover it with noodles.

Top the noodles with a half of the cheese mixture.

Layer half of the sausage and 1 cup sauce.

Repeat layers: noodles, cheese mix, sausage, sauce.

If you use no-boil noodles, make sure that they are covered with sauce around the edges of the baking dish. Use the remaining 1/2 cup sauce to cover them. Exposed noodles will be rather dry and hard to chew.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove form oven, uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and let it stand in the oven for a few minutes, until cheese is melted.

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