A quick and easy, healthy and lightened up version of a classic Italian dinner! This Small Batch Gluten-Free Vegetable Lasagna is vegan, top 8 allergy-free, packed with veggies, homemade tomato sauce, and on the table in 30 minutes! A recipe the whole family will love for those busy weeknight meal dilemmas!
Say it with me, LASAGNA! One of the most classic Italian comfort food dishes, make-ahead, freezer-friendly, and totally not gluten-free or vegan…until now! This recipe was made a year or two ago as a “loaf pan lasagna”, but I’ve since updated my original written recipe and decided to tweak the ingredients and make it a tad larger. So now it’s time to finally present the recipe to you, my lovely readers. I think you’ll be surprised by one of the “secret” ingredients I snuck in this vegetable lasagna 😉
Before I get into the recipe, can we talk about the word “lasagna”? Absolutely hate it. Terrible to say, horrid to spell. It doesn’t “sound” delicious and doesn’t do this baked pasta casserole justice in any way! Couldn’t they have come up with a prettier (or “yummier”) sounding name? I know, I know, it’s just the Italian word for a long, wide, flat noodle, but it has never sounded appetizing to me. Caveat, I grew up eating baked ziti (recipe coming!), stuffed shells, and manicotti MUCH more than lasagna, so maybe I’m just biased?
Classic lasagna is really just carbs and tons of cheese…lots of cheese, with minimal sauce. I always associated lasagna with freezer meals you give to people at funerals, when they’re sick and incapacitated, old women and their church groups, or new parents needing something quick to pull out of the freezer. Haha, but isn’t it true? Lasagna is the go-to “get well” “bring to your neighbor” recipe! I’m all about some good comfort food, but let’s reinvent, make it gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, easier to make ANY night of the week, and a whole lot healthier and nutritionally satisfying!
Now that I’ve bashed classic lasagnas, let me tell you why this gluten-free vegetable lasagna is 100% better. First, the sauce is homemade and that always takes a dish up 10 notches. Second, I’m giving you two gluten-free noodle options (I’ve tried both and think they’re equally delicious). Third, we not only have eggplant and zucchini, but SAUERKRAUT (breaking from the Italian cuisine), Fourth, it’s nicely topped with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast (of course!)
This vegetable lasagna is made in an 8×8 square baking dish (instead of my original loaf pan version with one “row” of lasagna), this one has two, three layer rows. Basically, I just doubled the recipe (added some ‘krout and more sauce!) Now this recipe serves about 4 large servings (6 as a small side!), instead of 2 large servings. If you’re like me and never feeding some large crowd or don’t want a meal that reminds you of old women and funerals, than this vegetable lasagna is for YOU! In all it’s gluten-free and vegan glory, with probiotic sauerkraut powder…this is NOT your “typical” lasagna!
Small Batch Gluten-Free Vegetable Lasagna
- Homemade Sauce:
- 2½ Cups No-Salt Added Tomato Sauce (about 1½ cans)
- ½ Cup Sliced Black Olives
- 1 TB Chopped Fresh Basil
- 1 TB Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 Shallot (minced)
- 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
- ¼ to ½ Tsp Black Pepper
- Lasagna & Vegetable Layers:
- 6 Gluten-Free Oven-Ready Lasagna Sheets*
- 8 Thin Round Slices of Eggplant
- 24 Thin Slices of Zucchini
- 1 Cup Sauerkraut (try a homemade version!)
- 2 -3 TB Nutritional Yeast
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the tomato sauce ingredients and set aside while you prep the rest of your lasagna layers.
- In an 8x8 baking dish, coat the bottom with a thin layer of sauce.
- In order, layer in 2 lasagna sheets side by side, then two eggplant slices on each sheet, followed by 6 zucchini slices on each sheet, then ¼ cup of sauerkraut on each sheet. Spoon on about ½ cup of sauce and repeat this for a second full layer.
- Top the 2 finished layers with the third set of lasagna sheets, cover with the last of the sauce and sprinkle on the nutritional yeast.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove and top with extra parsley if desired before serving.
Small batch, easy to throw together with that no-cook sauce and just some slicing of veggies! A super healthy way to get a little pasta fix and warm cozy comfort with a whole lot of flavor! Of course, you can leave out the sauerkraut if you have some crazy aversion to it (but don’t…it’s SO good!). And you can also freeze it as a simple meal prep dish that you can take out and just throw in the oven on a busy night that week! Any way you serve it up, this gluten-free vegetable lasagna will be a new favorite (and you’ll never miss the cheese!)
So tell me:
+ What does lasagna remind you of? (I know I’m not alone in my thinking!)
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This lasagna looks so yummy! I love that it is vegan and gluten free. I’m always trying to look for new recipes that are gluten free! Thank you for sharing!
I hope you enjoy!
Oh I do love a nice lasagne but we tend to have it over a couple of days. I like the idea of batch cooking and a vegan alternative. one to try for sure!
That’s great, thanks!
I’ve been doing small batches on my blog recently, trying to feed the whole family meals they ALL like is challenging to say the least, this would be perfect for me while the others have their ‘normal’ lasagna!
I’m all about small batch and single serve. Big batch meals are not for this single girl who enjoys cooking every meal, daily!
This looks so good. My dad is gluten free so he would love this.
Thanks!
This looks + sounds phenomenal, Rebecca! I’m SUCH a lasagna girl…can’t wait to try it!
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A meal you can never go wrong with!
I can’t tell you how much I’d love to tuck into that right now.
It’s sure to bring all the cozy vibes!
I LOVE lasagna. It’s one of my favorite dishes. Although, I must say, that I have never had gluten-free lasagna, at least not to my knowledge. I will definitely have to try this one day.
Great, well it’s the same thing.
My favorite thing about this is that it is small batch! We would never be able to eat a full sized pan of lasagna in a reasonable amount of time, so this is perfect. And I love how simple it is, too. Delicious!
Exactly! Just enough to satisfy that craving!
I love the concept of a veggie lasagna!! I love vegetables and my diet doesn’t allow for all the cheese in traditional lasagna. I’ll try this out soon! I am not usually cooking for more than 2, and I do not like old lady or funeral food, ha.
Me either! I need small batches. I hate mass quantity recipes (even when you can freeze).
This looks amazing!! I am going to have to try this.
Great, enjoy!
I love this healthy and allergy-friendly spin on such a classic comfort food. It looks so yummy that I don’t even think I’d miss traditional pasta!
Nope. So much flavor here, the veggies and sauce are the star!
This sounds so good!! I’m so pumped to make this!!
Well I’m pumped it caught your eye 😉
It really look good. Lasagna is so good!
Such a cozy dish!
I actually can’t wait to try this out!
Well I hope you enjoy!
I must admit, I love traditional lasagna in its cheesy carby glory, but I am definitely intrigued by this version. I love a good homemade sauce and will have to give it a try with sauerkraut. Thanks for sharing.
The sauerkraut is key 😉
What a delish and healthy looking recipe, plus you can’t go wrong with a lasagna. Thanks for sharing!
Total comfort!
I KNOW they would enjoy it 😉
Woohoo!
Always nice to have those recipes that are perfect for small batches as well as large batches. Using vegetables is always a winner and still have the pasta and sauce which is perfect.
I’m all about small batches here!
Lasagne is one of my all favourite dishes . Your recipe is great…never had one with Sauerkraut (ha ha , ask a German not to like it ;-)). I´ll give that a try …yum!
You have to give it a go then!
This sounds delicious!! Everyone in my family could eat this, and I think we all would enjoy it!! Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to try it!
I KNOW they would enjoy it 😉
This sounds sooooo good! I actually made lasagna last week. I’ve always made mine different from most people because I have always chopped up veggies and hid them in there. No one knew any better. I am anxious to try yours because one of my sons has allergies and yours seems like the perfect recipe because he can eat all of the ingredients!!! Looking forward to trying it!
Well, MOST lasagnas don’t have veggies, lol. But I always love to highlight the greatest foods 🙂
Know what you mean about the name. It gives me a total turn off because for years the only option when eating out for us vegetarians was a veggie lasagne AND it was always horrible. Homemade is, of course a completely different ball game 🙂
Haha, we’ve just got to make Lasagna trendy again 😉