Is there such thing as a yummy gluten free, dairy free Lasagna?

[Ginevra]

I'm thinking meat lasagna, but I'm open to other interpretations, such as spinach or eggplant.

 

I did score some brown rice lasagna dried sheets at the food co-op, but the DF part is even more important than the GF part. But I mostly just avoid cheeses now because substitutes for cheese are generally pretty terrible.

[AmandaVT]

You can make a pretty yummy ricotta substitute out of tofu. 

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229285/tofu-ricotta/

 

I'd do thinly sliced zucchini in there instead of noodles if you don't like the brown rice ones. 

[hornblower]

I don't do gluten free so I'm assuming you have access to gf noodles. 

I make vegan lasagna every couple months. My dh & dd like a traditional type of lasagna so I usually use the tofu 'ricotta' + spinach for one layer. 

Yves "just like ground" & tomatoes + sauce for the other layers.  

 

Dayia mozzarella shreds for on top. 

Edited June 3, 2016 by hornblower

[hornblower]

If you want to experiment, I've tried a number of recipes from her site & never had it go badly.  (but I've never made this specific recipe) 

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/03/spicy-lasagna-verde-vegan-recipe-2011.html

[Incognito]

I had a very good butter chicken lasagna.  It didn't need cheese.  But perhaps this is such a change it is no longer lasagna?

[prairiewindmomma]

I have not found a dairy substitute for cheese that I like.  I've spent $$$ trying them all.  What about lasagna appeals to you?  You could try a layered meat/marinara layer alternating with tofu, but I try to avoid soy as much as possible.

[aaplank]

I have used Kite Hill cheese (made with almonds and only sold at Whole Foods).  They have ricotta as well as cream cheese.  My favorite that I've made was lasagna rolls using Kite Hill chive cream cheese.  I spread it on the noodles after they were boiled, rolled them up and poured meat sauce over them.  Baked in the oven oven until bubbly.

 

Kite Hill is expensive, but worth it, if you are really craving something cheesy.

Edited June 3, 2016 by aaplank

[Rebecca]

We use Daiya for cheese substitutes on everything. I just checked and it is gluten free. My family loves it. I have had Tofutti ricotta before and it was good. We try to avoid a lot of soy I don't have much experience.

 

We make homemade pizza with Daiya every week.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Daiya cheese is pretty good.

[Spryte]

DS makes Gf lasagna with no cheese. He also layers in pepperoni and black olives. And any veggies he thinks sound good.

 

He's never cared for Daiya, but that's the only safe option we've hound for him, so he goes without.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I've made this a couple of times as a substitute for lasagna and it's amazing.

 

http://www.paleonewbie.com/easy-and-cheesy-baked+spaghetti-paleo-recipe

[Guest]

I have not found a dairy substitute for cheese that I like. I've spent $$$ trying them all. What about lasagna appeals to you? You could try a layered meat/marinara layer alternating with tofu, but I try to avoid soy as much as possible.

Well, I want to eat it because it has that comfort food element one misses when no longer eating "normally." But what would be most awesome would be to make a GF/DF lasagna that would be acceptable - maybe even delicious - to the gluten and dairy eaters in the family.

[Katy]

Well there's a recipe for Turkey Lasagna in David Kirsh's book The Ultimate New York Body Plan that doesn't use pasta or dairy or red meat, and doesn't try to substitute for them, so I think it's technically more like adding turkey meat to a ratatouille recipe, but it is delicious (not just for diet food, actually yummy).  Someone posted it here:  http://www.food.com/recipe/turkey-lasagna-430546 I wish they had also posted his homemade marinara sauce recipe, it has a tangy sharpness that really plays off the dullness of zucchini.  ETA2: I'd excerpt it for you if I had any idea where my cook books are now.  I think the movers must have mislabeled that box and hid it somewhere in the garage or basement.

 

If you wanted to make it more like a traditional lasagna, I'd start with Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna Ever recipe, experiment with finely chopping pressed tofu in a food processor until it's the texture of chunks of ricotta, and blend in a fairly large amount of nutritional yeast and a larger than typical amount of salt for the cheesy flavor.  ETA:  Add an extra egg or two to this "cheese" mixture too, so it sets and give the impression of having "melted." Another more expensive but common technique I've seen is to use cashews that have been soaked for 24 hours in the fridge.  I would imagine soaking them in something like chicken tomato bouillon would taste better and impart more of the tangy salty taste that's in cheese.  I would also try layering squares of white cabbage cut into the shape of mozzarella slices to keep the layers of cheese and meat separate. 

 

Whatever you do, don't pre-cook the noodles.  Either make the sauce watery or add extra water to the corners of the pan first (before putting into the oven I mean), and lengthen cooking time.  Every single time I've pre-cooked gluten free noodles I've regretted it.  They swell in odd ways and then you can't fit them into the pan as well.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Katy

[Kareni]

I had a very good butter chicken lasagna.  It didn't need cheese.  But perhaps this is such a change it is no longer lasagna?

 

If you could post the recipe, I'd appreciate it.  We like butter chicken, and we also like lasagna ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

Well there's a recipe for Turkey Lasagna in David Kirsh's book The Ultimate New York Body Plan that doesn't use pasta or dairy or red meat, and doesn't try to substitute for them, so I think it's technically more like adding turkey meat to a ratatouille recipe, but it is delicious (not just for diet food, actually yummy). Someone posted it here: http://www.food.com/recipe/turkey-lasagna-430546 I wish they had also posted his homemade marinara sauce recipe, it has a tangy sharpness that really plays off the dullness of zucchini. ETA2: I'd excerpt it for you if I had any idea where my cook books are now. I think the movers must have mislabeled that box and hid it somewhere in the garage or basement.

 

If you wanted to make it more like a traditional lasagna, I'd start with Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna Ever recipe, experiment with finely chopping pressed tofu in a food processor until it's the texture of chunks of ricotta, and blend in a fairly large amount of nutritional yeast and a larger than typical amount of salt for the cheesy flavor. ETA: Add an extra egg or two to this "cheese" mixture too, so it sets and give the impression of having "melted." Another more expensive but common technique I've seen is to use cashews that have been soaked for 24 hours in the fridge. I would imagine soaking them in something like chicken tomato bouillon would taste better and impart more of the tangy salty taste that's in cheese. I would also try layering squares of white cabbage cut into the shape of mozzarella slices to keep the layers of cheese and meat separate.

 

Whatever you do, don't pre-cook the noodles. Either make the sauce watery or add extra water to the corners of the pan first, and lengthen cooking time. Every single time I've pre-cooked gluten free noodles I've regretted it. They swell in odd ways and then you can't fit them into the pan as well.

Thank you, Iron Chef! Impressive re-construction tips right there!

[Katy]

Another idea might be to try steamed cauliflower crumbles.  Some grocery stores have them in the freezer section, but steaming, pulsing in food processor, draining, and mixing in a large amount of nutritional yeast and/or chicken-tomato buillion powder (or even 1/4 cup of real parmesan if you're doing this for calories not avoiding dairy) might help a great deal.

[Incognito]

If you could post the recipe, I'd appreciate it.  We like butter chicken, and we also like lasagna ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I wish I could!  I got it at the store.  I tried to imitate it at home, but my results were not stellar. :(

 

ETA:  You got me googling.  Here is the recipe they used to make the one they sell at the store:

 

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/butter-chicken-lasagna/13129/

 

I should have used that! :)

Edited June 4, 2016 by Incognito

[purplejackmama]

No. Just no. This is hearsay to even ATTEMPT this.

 

Just stick with your grilled chicken, cauli rice and roasted brussel sprouts. :)

[Kareni]

I wish I could!  I got it at the store.  I tried to imitate it at home, but my results were not stellar. :(

 

ETA:  You got me googling.  Here is the recipe they used to make the one they sell at the store:

 

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/butter-chicken-lasagna/13129/

 

I should have used that! :)

 

Ooh, that does sound yummy, but it certainly looks like a lot of work.  I clearly need to shop at your store!

 

Thanks for finding the recipe.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Luckymama]

Well, I want to eat it because it has that comfort food element one misses when no longer eating "normally." But what would be most awesome would be to make a GF/DF lasagna that would be acceptable - maybe even delicious - to the gluten and dairy eaters in the family.

I had a moment the other day after I realized we will never again be able to eat my mom's lasagna recipe as a family. I am still in mourning.

 

Dh, ddYounger: dairy-free

DdOlder: gluten-free, rice-free, soy-free, almond-free

[waa510]

You can make a pretty yummy ricotta substitute out of tofu. 

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229285/tofu-ricotta/

 

I'd do thinly sliced zucchini in there instead of noodles if you don't like the brown rice ones. 

 

 

I use this recipe for our lasagna but mix in some Nutritional Yeast to give it a B vitamin boost and make it taste a bit more cheesy. 

[Soror]

No, I don't think so :) I actually think the noodles is not the part you miss but the dairy. Daiya is the best shredded sub but it is no where near real cheese. I've also used a cashew base(which works really well for cheesecake sub) and it works ok but again it is not on the same planet. I generally don't do dairy but after making a to die for lasagna with real dairy(and zuc noodles) after YEARS without it I've decided it is a splurge I'm going to indulge in at least 1x a year (but I don't have a life threatening allergy or anything).

Edited June 4, 2016 by soror

[Lady Marmalade]

I made a recipe years ago for an almond feta cheese that did not resemble feta in the end, but it DID resemble ricotta cheese.  A lot! It was really tasty as a cheese spread- we ended up using it as a spread for crackers.  But in the back of my mind I filed that recipe away to use in the future if I ever needed to make a vegan ricotta cheese.  The original recipe is from Vegetarian Times, and I never did bake the cheese after reading reviews that it didn't crumble after baking. I also didn't make the herb oil.  If I were making lasagna, I would be tempted to mix some freshly chopped herbs into the almond cheese before using, but I do that with real ricotta. 

 

Almond Feta Cheese with Herb Oil 

 

Blanched almonds give this creamy-crumbly cheese a rich texture. Unbaked, it will be smooth and spreadable. Baking will make it a bit more crumbly, like traditional feta cheese.

• 1 cup whole blanched almonds
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. plus ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves

1. Place almonds in medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak 24 hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold running water, and drain again.

2. Purée almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs. oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup cold water in food processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy.

3. Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours, or overnight. Discard excess liquid.

4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese (it will be soft), and transfer from cheesecloth to prepared baking sheet. Flatten to form 6-inch round about 3/4-inch thick. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is slightly firm. Cool, then chill. (Cheese can be made up to this point 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated.)

5. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, thyme, and rosemary in small saucepan. Warm oil over medium-low heat 2 minutes, or until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving.

 

[Clear Creek]

Yes. My family *loves* this recipe. I will admit to sometimes tossing in a handful of mozarella (because we don't have to eat dairy-free), but it is just fine without it.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Yes, I used GF noodles and a combo cashew cream/tofu ricotta cheese.  Even my dad liked it.

 

I got the ricotta cheese recipe from Veganomicon

[Lizzie in Ma]

I make spaghetti squash lasagna instead of noodles but I can't help with the dairy free.  I'd lose my mind if I couldn't have cheese. 

[ElizabethB]

Have you tried sheep cheese? The protein in sheep cheese is even more different from cow milk than goat milk. I buy a whole wheel of sheep manchego at a time to prevent contamination from cutting, plus I get a 10% case discount buying it that way.

[nevergiveup]

Thinly sliced zucchini which has been salted and drained will stand for the noodles.