This spinach and ‘ricotta’ lasagne recipe is so simple to make and is the ultimate comfort food! An easy, wholesome recipe made with a creamy tofu and spinach filling that is gluten, dairy free and vegetarian.

Italian is one of my favourite cuisines – Pizza, pasta, ravioli, tortellini, you name it. When I was growing up, mum’s spinach and ricotta lasagne was one of my favourite homemade dishes.

Actually, let me rephrase that. Spinach and ricotta lasagne is my all-time favourite Italian dish. It requires only a few simple ingredients, is so easy to make and yet is so delicious.

An Easy Spinach and ‘Ricotta’ Lasagne

Traditionally, spinach and ricotta lasagne is made using lasagne pasta, spinach and ricotta cheese. Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese that is creamy white in appearance and slightly sweet in taste.

In this recipe, instead of using ricotta cheese to make the lasagne, we use a combination of tofu and other easy-to-find ingredients to make a delicious dairy free ricotta that is so wonderfully cheesy and tastes so good you’ll think that you’re eating the real thing!

Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. This recipe tastes just like the original and has everything you are looking for in a spinach and ricotta lasagne, just without the dairy cheese!

Why you’ll love this recipe

It’s gluten, dairy free, and vegetarian! Here we swap out traditional wheat based lasagne sheets for the gluten free kind, ricotta and cheddar cheese for tofu and dairy free cheese.
It has everything you’d expect from a spinach and ricotta lasagne. Layers upon layers of a lasagne pasta, flavourful tomato passata sauce, a light and creamy spinach and ricotta filling, just without the dairy!
It’s high in protein. The tofu in this recipe is packed with protein, for a filling meal!
Makes for a great wholesome lunch or dinner idea. A nourishing dish which is high in protein and is loaded with healthy greens.
Perfect as a double batch meal! Save time and prepare a double portion that can be easily stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezes well. This lasagne can be stored in the freezer for up to 1-2 months.

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan forced).

To prepare the ‘ricotta’, add the tofu to a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash the tofu until you end up with a soft, ricotta like consistency. Be careful not to over mash so you still have some lumps in the mixture. Add the olive oil, lemon, nutritional yeast, dried basil, garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Then, to make the spinach and ricotta filling, add the spinach, egg and grated cheese to the tofu mixture. Using a spatula, fold the additional ingredients through the tofu mixture until combined.

To assemble the lasagne, spread an even layer of passata sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Next add the lasagne sheets, then a layer of the spinach and ricotta filling, spreading evenly with a spoon. Repeat this process until your baking dish is full and there are multiple layers of lasagne. For the final layer, spread an even layer of passata sauce over the lasagne sheets and topped with basil and grated cheese.

Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Spinach and ‘Ricotta’ Lasagne

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Lucy | Gluten Free Essence Course: MainCuisine: AustralianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This spinach and ricotta lasagne recipe is simple to make and is the ultimate comfort food! An easy, wholesome recipe made with a creamy tofu and spinach filling that is gluten, dairy free and vegetarian.

Ingredients

400 grams firm tofu, sliced into cubes
1 tblsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 tblsp nutritional yeast
1 tblsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic cloves, crushed
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
500 g frozen spinach, defrosted
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 cup dairy free cheese, grated
gluten free lasagne sheets (8 approx)
600 g tomato passata
1 tsp dried basil, to garnish
dairy free cheese, for the top layer

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan forced).
Add the tofu to a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash the tofu until you end up with a soft, ‘ricotta’ like consistency. Be careful not to over mash so you still have some lumps in the mixture.
Then add the olive oil, lemon, nutritional yeast, dried basil, garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
To make the spinach and ricotta filling, add the spinach, egg and grated cheese to the ricotta mixture. Using a spatula, fold the additional ingredients through the ricotta mixture until combined.
To assemble the lasagne, spread an even layer of passata sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Next add the lasagne sheets, then a layer of the spinach and ricotta filling, spreading evenly with a spoon. Repeat this process until your baking dish is full and there are multiple layers of lasagne.
For the final layer, spread an even layer of passata sauce over the lasagne sheets and top with basil and grated cheese.
Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

To create a dairy free ricotta cheese, we use tofu and a combination of other ingredients to achieve a ricotta like consistency and cheesy flavour.
To achieve the perfect ricotta consistency, ensure you don’t over mash the tofu.
Storage suggestions. This lasagne may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1-2 months.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below, take a pic and share it on instagram with the hashtag #glutenfreeessence and tag @glutenfreeessence. I love hearing from you!

© glutenfreeessence.com All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.