Dairy Free Lasagna Recipe - two purple couches (2024)
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to try this out. I really don’t. But now that I’ve figured out a dairy free lasagna recipe, I foresee us eating a LOT of lasagna this winter season! Which is a good thing (wink).
Now you may be thinking dairy free lasagna? How? Why? Awwwhailno! But I’m here to tell you that you CAN leave it out and still make a delicious meal.
To tell you why dairy free lasagna is such an amazing discovery in our house, I need to give you a little background about my husband. Tom is lactose intolerant, but he hasn’t been all his life. It’s one of those things that’s become more pronounced as he grows older. And shortly after we got married, it became apparent that any trace of dairy (sour cream, cream cheese, cow’s milk, cream-based soups, and lactose-rich cheeses) was too much. So, we cut them out. Now, I still enjoy 2% milk in my coffee and a scoop of ice cream now and then, but as a family, I avoid fixing meals and dishes that require these ingredients. #1) It’s just not fair to make food that Tom can’t eat and #2) who wants to cook two meals a night??
Despite being one of our favorite foods, lasagna’s been our “no” list for years. I tried to make a meat-and-sauce only lasagna once and I just remember it being a dense, dry mess.
When I came across this recipe from my friend Melissa at The Happier Homemaker, I knew I had to make another attempt at dairy-free lasagna. By swapping a veggie puree for the ricotta cheese, you still get the moisture, spread-able consistency and added flavor, but without the issue of dairy.
To make my veggie puree, I started by chopping and steaming one small zucchini and one bunch of fresh spinach leaves. I drained the water, then pureed the veggies in a food processor. Then I mixed in two eggs, a tablespoon of pesto and just a handful of shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheese (Tom’s okay with these cheeses in small doses, but they can be eliminated altogether for someone with more severe intolerance), and I had a nice mixture to layer between the noodles and meat sauce mixture. I wound up with about 2 cups of veggie puree—the same suggested amount of ricotta. You could probably steam and puree any veggies you like for this dish, from broccoli to cauliflower to kale. (My apologies for not having pictures of this process to share. At the time of cooking, I had no intention of posting this recipe because I wasn’t sure it would work out!)
The results were incredible. This lasagna is so, so delicious. I really think the pesto is what makes this whole dish. The added zest of basil is perfect!
Rich and hearty, this dairy-free lasagna swaps a vegetable puree for ricotta cheese, without losing any of the moisture or flavor!
Ingredients
1 12oz package of no-boil lasagna noodles
48oz of marinara sauce
1lb mild Italian sausage
1lb ground beef or turkey
2 cups pureed vegetables of your choice
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional if you don't need a dairy-free recipe)
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional if you don't need a dairy-free recipe)
2 tbsp pesto to add to marinara sauce; 1 tbsp pesto to add to vegetable puree
2 eggs
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pan, brown and drain the sausage and ground beef or turkey, then set aside.
Add 2 tbsp pesto to the meat and mix well.
Add marinara sauce to the meat and mix until well combined.
Chop and steam vegetables, then puree in a food processor.
Combine pureed vegetables, 1 tbsp pesto, eggs, and optional mozzarella and Parmesan cheese if you're not making a dairy-free lasagna.
Spoon 1 cup of meat sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish.
Top with lasagna noodles, half of vegetable mixture and ⅓ of the remaining meat sauce.
Repeat with another layer of noodles, vegetable mixture and ⅓ meat sauce.
Top with remaining sauce and cover with foil.
Bake for one hour.
Let sit for 15 minutes before to serving. It will be very hot!
Notes
Adapted from thehappierhomemaker.com
Now if I could just figure out how to make homemade mac and cheese without dairy…
Have you converted any creamy favorites to dairy/lactose free? Do you have a good resource for dairy-free recipes? I’d love to know! Share in the comments!
Crumbled firm tofu with some seasonings is a commonly used layer in vegan lasagna recipes. Also try sieving or blending the cottage cheese first, if you don't like the texture but don't mind its subtle flavour.
Use plenty of herbs and spices: Herbs and spices can add a lot of flavor to a vegetarian lasagna. Some good options include basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Add some umami-rich ingredients: Umami is a savory taste that can be found in ingredients like mushrooms, tomatoes, and soy sauce.
Betony Kitchen says you could make lasagna with as little as two layers for a quick lasagna that doesn't take long to bake. Many, however, would consider this skimping. Most recipes you'll find for lasagna call for a minimum of three layers, which seems to be the universal standard.
Turn the oven on to 350ºF so it can preheat while you're assembling the lasagna. Once the lasagna is ready, cover the pan with a layer of aluminum foil. Place the pan in the oven and allow it to bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil so the cheese can brown.
Tofu: Crumbled or blended tofu can be used as a replacement for cheese in recipes.Cashew cream: Cashews can be soaked and blended with water to make a creamy sauce that can be used as a cheese replacement. Hummus: Hummus can be spread on top of food as a cheese replacement. Avocado: mashed avocado can also be.
Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!
In an oven preheated to 375 degrees F, this homemade lasagna should be perfectly baked in about 50 minutes (30-40 minutes covered, 5-10 minutes uncovered).
There's a lot of discussion around this topic in the lasagna recipe world, but generally most lasagna recipes start with a layer of red sauce, followed by a layer of white sauce, followed by a layer of pasta and cheese. Then you continue with this layering until you have completely filled your tray.
Line the bottom of the baking pan with 4 cooked lasagna noodles, overlapping them. Spread the ricotta mixture first then the meat sauce on top. Sprinkle grated mozzarella and top with another three noodles. Repeat layering the ricotta and meat sauce with the cheese.
If using glass or Pyrex, I'd let it sit out for a good 30 minutes, assuming the room is cool and not hot. And then I'd start it in an un-preheated oven, just to be safe.
Place the lasagna pan on a baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil in the preheated oven. Now bake the lasagna for 55-65 minutes. Remove aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes. Take the lasagna out of the oven when the top layer of cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
But it has other perks, too: namely, that you can prepare the whole thing in advance, and store it in the fridge overnight—ready to pop in the oven an hour or so before dinner (just before the kids start to whine). Serve it for dinner that night, and reheat leftovers all week.
In southern Italy lasagna is generally made with dried sheets of pasta layered with rich meat ragú, ricotta and mozzarella. In the north, especially in Bologna, the most popular version of lasagna features fresh egg pasta colored green with spinach and layered with ragú, bechamel and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Other Swiss types of cheese like Raclette cheese or Appenzeller Cheese or Dutch cheeses like Edam cheese or Gouda (especially young gouda or mild gouda) or Jarlsberg cheese from Norway or American Swiss cheese can all be substituted.
Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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