This week I was invited to a grand opening party at a new Earth Fare location in Charlotte! It is in the Steele Creek area of town. If you’ve never been to an Earth Fare, you should check it out! This is their 7th location in the Charlotte area, and they carry plenty of healthy options. I was specifically looking for gluten free and dairy free items to have on hand, and also ingredients that I could use to make a lasagna that would work with our family’s food intolerances. Lasagna is not a meal that is usually available for those with gluten and dairy allergies, so I wanted to come up with a recipe for it! I can safely say that this one is a keeper! I’m so happy to share this gluten and dairy free lasagna with you all!
If you make this recipe, I would love for you to tell me about it! Please tag a picture on instagram, send me a DM, or leave a comment below. Those types of messages are so encouraging.
This post is sponsored by Earth Fare, but all opinions are mine. I shopped and bought the ingredients for the lasagna, and came up with the recipe myself. I was thrilled to partner with Earth Fare, because they prioritize the same food and wellness principles that I aim to live by.
About Earth Fare
Walking through the store was inspirational, because they offer so many ingredients that I can actually use in our home. Where else can you find about 5 types of gluten free bagels?! If anyone in your family has a food allergy, this is the place to shop. Items like dairy free cheese are easy to find, and they also offer so many gluten free alternatives. Another great thing about Earth Fare is their wellness section, that offers almost every kind of supplement and vitamin, and all mindfully sourced. We were out of turmeric, so I stocked up while I was there. If you need help, they always have an expert available to help guide you.
Their slogan is “Live Longer with Earth Fare.” Hard to argue with that! I took a picture of their food philosophy:
Notes About the Gluten Free Dairy Free Lasagna
A little humble honesty: I was really happy with how this lasagna turned out! Before I share the recipe, read these few notes:
- If you are not able to find dairy free ricotta, you can use all cream cheese. Just use less, like 10-12 ounces, rather than 15. Or thin it out a bit with a little dairy free milk. The taste of the cream cheese is more tangy than the ricotta, so I used a combination.
- The lasagna noodles I used were made from only organic brown rice and water. I only cooked them for 8-9 minutes, then rinsed with cold water after draining. They were still al dente, and did not get soggy or mushy at all in the lasagna!
- Dairy free cheese does not melt as well. Some brands still taste very good, but don’t be surprised if the top does not look melty. (p.s. I’m not a huge fan of Daiya, but I do like the brands that use nuts in the cheese).
- Make the vegan parmesan cheese by Minimalist Baker! It’s easy, and you’ll use almost a full recipe for this lasagna. I keep any extra in the refrigerator and use it on roasted veggie bowls and salads.
- You can use 1 lb each of the ground beef and sausage. I used 1.25 lbs of ground beef and .75 of the sausage but it’s flexible.
- Make sure you check to make sure the sausage you buy is gluten free.
- You can prep all of the ingredients individual ahead of time, then assemble the lasagna later if needed. You can also assemble it and the bake it the next day!
Recipe
These are some of the ingredients I found at Earth Fare (well I already had the onion). The sauce was delicious – and organic! And the pasta worked so well. People ask me often about gluten free pasta, and I can safely recommend this one. Just follow my notes (above) and undercook it for the lasagna.
Brown the ground beef and sausage along with the onion and garlic. Then add the two jars of sauce and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.
This combination was great, but as I mentioned in the notes above, you could use just cream cheese (with a little dairy free milk added in). If you use only cream cheese, use a little less than 15 ounces total.
The egg is mixed into the ricotta and cream cheese, along with a pinch of nutmeg.
It looks like this after assembly, but before baking. I added plenty of fresh parsley and basil in between the layers and on top.
When you’re layering, the order is: meat sauce – noodles – ricotta mixture – herbs – mozzarella – parmesan – more sauce – noodles – ricotta mixture – herbs – sauce – mozzarella – parmesan – noodles – rest of the sauce – rest of the mozzarella – rest of the parmesan – herbs
Here is the link to the vegan parmesan recipe!
| Prep Time | 2 - 2.5 hours |
| Cook Time | 1.5 hours |
| Servings |
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- 1 1/4 lbs ground beef aim for grass fed and/or organic
- 3/4 lb mild italian pork sausage make sure it is gluten free
- 1/2 sweet yellow or vidalia onion small dice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 jars marinara Organico Bello tomato basil works well
- 3/4 cup vegan parmesan Minimalist Baker recipe (contains raw cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder)
- 12 gluten free lasagna noodles Tinkyada brown rice pasta works well
- 15 oz combo of Kite Hill plain cream cheese and Kite Hill ricotta or 10 oz Kite Hill cream cheese
- 1 large egg beaten
- dash ground nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped small
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil chopped small
- 15 oz dairy free mozzarella I used So Delicious brand
- red pepper flakes optional topping
Ingredients
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- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef and sausage, plus the onion and garlic, over medium to medium high heat. Once cooked through, add the jars of sauce and reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and find a deep 9x13 inch casserole dish.
- While the meat is cooking, bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add a little olive oil and some salt to the pot. Once boiling, carefully add the lasagna noodles. Cook for 8-9 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water. If making these ahead of time, make sure to gently rub a little olive oil on them before storing so they do not stick together.
- Make the vegan parmesan according to the directions on Minimalist Baker's site. This can be made several days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
- Whisk the egg in a medium size bowl, then add the ricotta and the cream cheese. Mix well, then add the nutmeg.
- Chop the herbs and set aside.
- Let the meat sauce cool slightly before assembling.
- To assemble the lasagna, place 1/4 of the meat sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish. Then lay 4 lasagna noodles on top. Then top with 1/2 of the ricotta cream cheese mixture and spread evenly. Add 1 Tbsp of each of the herbs. Then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the parmesan.
- Follow with 1/4 of the meat sauce, 4 more noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, 1 Tbsp herbs, 1/4 of the sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the parmesan.
- Add another layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce, the rest of the mozzarella, the final 1/4 cup of parmesan, and the remaining herbs.
- Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 25-30 minutes. The sides should be bubbly and it should be hot all the way through.
Thank you guys for reading! If you try this gluten free dairy free lasagna, please let me know! 🙂
Is there another way to get the recipt printed? Everytime I click the print icon it brings up a page error.
I am so sorry, Heather. I don’t know why it will not print! I will put it in a word document tonight or tomorrow and will email it to you.