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Guess what you guys?!?! This is the first time I have made lasagna all by myself! Aren’t you so proud of me?!
And this lasagna isn’t any old lasagna. It’s a mushroom lasagna with roasted red pepper sauce! YES we even made our own sauce!!!
Don’t worry, none of it is hard…just a little time consuming but totally worth it. Worth it because each bite is layered with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, creamy ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese with tender noodles and smoky, sweet red pepper sauce.
I mean, just look at all those mushrooms!!! Is this what heaven looks like?!
You can use any type of mushrooms you like. I like to use a combo of button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and protobello mushrooms that are roughly chopped. I highly, highly recommend using some shiitake mushrooms if you can because they add a really intense mushroom taste that makes all the difference.
How many times can I say mushroom in one paragraph? 6, that’s how many lol!
Did I mention that this mushroom lasagna is gluten free? Thanks to Barilla’s gluten free, oven ready lasagna noodles you won’t ever be able to tell this lasagna is gluten free. What I love about these noodles is that they are made from corn and rice – ingredients you can feel good about. AND that they are no boil noodles.
TBH lasagna probably wouldn’t be worth it to me if I had to boil my noodles and then un-stick them and try to lay them down while they’re wet. Sounds like a nightmare. Yes, I will make my own roasted red pepper sauce, but I’m not willing to boil lasagna noodles!
Of course, if you’re not gluten free you can certainly use regular no boil noodles too!
Speaking of the roasted red pepper sauce! I used jarred roasted red peppers for ease. One of my favorite things to do is to roast my own bell peppers over an open flame on my gas stove, I seriously LOVE IT! BUT we’re making mushroom lasagna here…short cuts are needed.
The jarred roasted peppers work great. Once blended into a smooth creamy sauce with a few other ingredients the sauce is sweet, smoky, and deceivingly delicious.
I say deceivingly because it looks a lot like normal tomato marinara sauce but once you bite into it you realize there’s something different about it, something special. I love that kind of a surprise in a dish. Thank you roasted red peppers!
The bulk of the work in making mushroom lasagna…or any lasagna is assembling it. Yes, it does take 60 minutes to bake but that time is hands off. All you have to is smell all the amazing enticing smells happening in your kitchen while you do the dishes, or read a book, or visit with friends.
The great thing about making mushroom lasagna is that it feeds a crowd, 12 to 15 servings. Perfect for having guests over or dinner parties…or even Easter Sunday lunch which is two days from now! Don’t panic! You’ve totally got it covered!
You can even make this mushroom lasagna ahead of time – assemble the lasagna, cover and pop it in the fridge then bake it when you want to eat. I’ve include the directions on the notes section of the recipe below.
Also , this would make a great make ahead meal for the week, leftovers for days!
I always say that it’s a necessity for my business to eat out every once in a while. Restaurants often provides me with inspiration and recipe ideas. Besides who doesn’t need a break from cooking?
This mushroom lasagna recipe was inspired by a similar version I had at Biaggi’s not long ago. One bite of mushrooms and roasted red pepper sauce and I instantly knew I had to find a way to re-create a gluten free version here on the blog.
You’re welcome.
Just look at that cheesy, saucy piece of lasagna with little mushrooms peaking out. Don’t you just wanna stuff your face with this mushroom lasagna?!
I hope you love this mushroom lasagna as much as I did. It’s so fun to try cooking new things we’ve never made before. Food blogger milestone achieved. If I can do it, you can do it!
BTW this Italian salad would be the perfect quick and light side to serve with this mushroom lasagna. So much tastiness is about to be on your plate…I can see it now!
Mushroom Lasagna with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 90 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins
- Yield: 12 to 15 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Vegetarian, Gluten Free
Description
Mushroom lasagna with an easy roasted red pepper sauce. SO YUM! This recipe uses no-boil gluten free noodles. Perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 36 ounces of a variety of mushrooms, some sliced and some chopped (any kind your prefer)*
- 8 ounces spinach
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- Roasted red pepper sauce:
- 3 15 ounce jars of roasted red bell peppers (stored in water)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup veggie stock (or more to thin, as needed)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tbs arrow root starch or corn starch
- 1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (optional)
- Noodles
- 1 10 ounce package of oven ready noodles (for Gluten free noodles I used Barilla gluten free Oven ready lasagna noodles)
Instructions
- Cook Mushrooms: Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add some of the sliced mushrooms, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and reduced (about 5 to 8 minutes – remove the mushrooms once they’re cooked to a plate to cool. Add another tablespoon of butter and work through another batch of mushrooms until all of the mushrooms have been cooked – allow all of them to cool slightly on a plate. NOTE : to make the cooking process a little faster you can use two nonstick pans at the same time..
- Wilt the spinach: Once the mushrooms are done cooking turn the heat to low and add the spinach to the hot pan. Pop a lid on the pan and allow the spinach to wilt, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The spinach should still be bright green (see photo in post). Remove the spinach and to a plate and allow it to cool.
- Prepare Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 9X13 baking dish, set aside
- Make the roasted red pepper sauce: Drain the roasted red peppers, don’t rinse. Add the drained peppers to a blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. YOU SHOULD’T NEED TO ADD ANY SALT, BECAUSE THE ROASTED PEPPERS ARE ALREADY SALTY. The consistency of the sauce should be runny, but it should still stick to a spoon. You should have 6 1/2 to 7 cups, add more broth if you need more sauce – the amount of sauce you have is very important to cook the no boil noodles..
- Ricotta cheese: Add the ricotta cheese to a small mixing bowl along with the salt and pepper. Stir until the salt is well incorporated, taste and adjust.
- Assemble: Measure out 1 cup of sauce into the greased baking dish, spread into an even layer. Add a layer of noodles, overlapping them slightly if needed or breaking them apart as needed to fit into the baking dish. Spread 1 cup of sauce on top of the noodles. Add half of the mushrooms and half of the spinach on top. Dollop half of the ricotta cheese and spread it out a little. Sprinkle 1/4 cup the shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Follow by 1 cup of sauce then noodles. Repeat layer of the remaining mushrooms and spinach followed by ricotta cheese. NOTE: it’s very important to have 1 cup of sauce on either side of the noodles at all times so that they “boil” in the oven. To finish the layer of lasagna top with the remaining of the shredded cheese.
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and let the lasagna bake for another 20 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and the saue is bubbling.
- Rest: Allow the lasagna to cool and rest for 20 minutes before cutting. This is very important so that the sauce doesn’t run everywhere and you get nice clean slices of lasagna (don’t be impatient like I was lol).
- Serve: Cut into 12 to 15 slices and serve.
- Leftovers: Allow the lasagna to cool complelt before transferring the lasagna into containers and storing in the fridge. It will keep for up to 1 week, but best the first few days as it dries out as it sits.
Notes
*I know 36 ounces of mushrooms sounds like a lot, but they do melt down a lot when cooked. I used a combo of button mushrooms, shiitake, and portobello. I sliced the button and shiitake mushrooms and roughly chopped the portobello mushrooms. You can use a any type of mushrooms you like but I do highly recommend using some shiitake mushrooms (if you like them) because they provide a strong mushroom flavor that really stands out.
Make ahead: You assemble the lasagna up to 24 hours in advance. Cover the assembled lasagna with foil, store the unbaked lasagna in the fridge. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes, remove foil and bake for 20 minutes. Let coo for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting it.
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