Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna Bolognese

Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna Bolognese

Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna Bolognese

Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna Bolognese
Recipe from the Jovial Test Kitchen. Adapted from our founder’s beloved Gluten Free Lasagna Bolognese, this version is made without any dairy, but all of the creaminess! Once you smell this dish coming together,... you will understand why traditional Italian food is so iconic. The secret to this recipe is the besciamella, a regional tradition in Bologna. Instead of the classic milk and butter, broth and olive oil are whisked into a silky and delicious sauce that makes each layer as creamy as the original! You may add in a dairy free cheese if you wish, (an ounce to each layer) but we think it’s even better without.

A couple notes:
-This is not a no-boil recipe.
-You can prepare this lasagna the night before, refrigerate and bake the following day.
-This dish will reheat very well and tastes great even a few days after baking. Bake again at 375F for 5-10 minutes to reheat.
-If you are vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and 3 cups of chopped vegetables for the meat. Great options are carrots, celery, zucchini, mushrooms and kale.

Dairy Free and Gluten Free Lasagna Bolognese

Ingredients

For the meat sauce:

For the Béchamel sauce:

Assembling the lasagna:

Instructions

Making the meat sauce

  1. Slowly simmer onion and the whole rosemary sprig in extra virgin olive for 3-4 minutes until onion is translucent.
  2. Add the wine and let evaporate for less than 1 minute.
  3. Add meat and continue to simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until all of the meat has changed color. Add salt to taste. Discard rosemary.
  4. Add tomatoes, more salt to taste, and simmer on low uncovered so the tomatoes are just bubbling gently for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Making the béchamel sauce

  1. Melt vegetable spread in a medium saucepan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Whisk in flour and stir until the spread fully absorbs the flour.
  3. Slowly stir in warmed broth ¼ cup at a time, whisking to keep the sauce smooth. After each addition, let the sauce begin to bubble and thicken briefly, then add more. (If you pour in cold broth, your sauce may become lumpy so be sure to heat the broth before adding to the sauce.)
  4. When all of the broth has been added, continue to whisk over low heat for about 3-5 minutes until thickened. Be careful, the bottom will burn if the heat is too high.
  5. Set aside while you cook the noodles.

Assembling the lasagna

  1. Bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a large skillet or pot that is as wide as the noodles. Salt the water to taste.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
  3. You will need one and half boxes of lasagna (16 lasagna sheets) to make 4 rows of 4 noodles. Cook 4 noodles at a time for 4 minutes, using a fork to gently keep them from sticking together.
  4. Lift out one noodle at a time with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean, dry kitchen towel.
  5. Replenish the water, bring to a boil and repeat this step 4 times.
  6. Grease a 9″ x 13″ inch lasagna pan with vegetable spread or olive oil.
  7. Add 1-2 ladles of meat sauce to lightly cover the entire bottom of the pan.
  8. Place 4 noodles parallel to the short width of the pan. If the noodles overlap each other, that’s fine.
  9. Spread ¼ cup of béchamel sauce over the noodles, then cover with a few ladles of sauce.
  10. Repeat each step until you have used all of the ingredients. Try to keep in mind that each row should have an equal amount of filling, so divide the béchamel and sauce in four portions.

Baking and Serving

  1. Wipe the rim of the lasagna pan with a paper towel if you have spilled sauce on the pan.
  2. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
  3. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375°F for 40 minutes.
  4. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.
  5. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.