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Creamy Vegetable Lasagna {Gluten Free + Grain Free Option}

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Creamy Vegetable Lasagna is pure comfort food. This real food version is packed with beautiful green vegetables, tangy lemon, fresh thyme and layered with a buttery cream sauce. It’s gluten free with a grain free option too!

Creamy white sauce lasagna with cheesy top, fresh lemon slices and fresh thyme.

There’s nothing like homemade cream sauce vegetable lasagna!

Hands down, this is one of my favorite comfort food meals ever. Layers of perfectly cooked pasta, brimming with vegetables and creamy cheesy goodness – how can you go wrong?!

Fresh lemon, asparagus, fennel and leek.

Pasta dishes in general tend to be a sure hit. 

Most people simply love pasta. It’s one food that is universally known for bringing people together in a cozy, family-style way. Mac and cheese, one pot pastas, spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, and on and on.

You can load pasta up with light and refreshing flavors, thick meaty sauces or creamy and cheesy sauces. They’re all so unique and special, but the foundation is the same.

Creamy white sauce lasagna with cheesy top, fresh lemon slices and fresh thyme.

Lasagna doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be simple, bursting with flavor, with just a little hands on prep time.

Spring happens to be on the way here, so I’m craving lots of beautiful spring produce. This delicious vegetable lasagna is chock-full of asparagus, fennel and leeks. Fresh lemon and vibrant thyme really help bring out the natural sweet flavors of all of the vegetables.

Lasagna wouldn’t be the same without cheese, so this one is loaded with several different kinds. Ricotta cheese, aged cheddar and parmigiano-reggiano are the stars.

A luscious, refreshing homemade sauce brings the whole meal together. Similar to a classic mornay sauce, it’s made with buttery and slightly nutty Gruyère cheese and bursting with lemon flavor. It also happens to be grain free!

Creamy white sauce lasagna with cheesy topping with lemon slices, fresh thyme and serving utensils.

To make this vegetable lasagna, you’ll need some gluten free or grain free lasagna noodles {see recipe for my favorite choices}. They get a quick bath in some sea salted boiling water then cooled before handling.

While your pasta is cooking or cooling, get your homemade white sauce going. It’s really easy to make. You’ll start with some healthy fat and some of my favorite grain free flour to make a simple roux, then you’ll add some milk {preferably raw, organic or grass-fed} and thicken the sauce. Finish off the creamy goodness with Gruyère, fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. This sauce is bliss!

Creamy white sauce lasagna with cheesy top, fresh lemon slices, and fresh thyme.

Next up get some healthy fat into a pan and sauté some garlic, leeks and fennel for a few minutes. Then set them aside to cool off just a bit.

After those easy steps, all that’s left is the assembly. You’ll layer everything into a casserole pan and top it off with some shredded cheese. Then pop it into the oven and let the magic begin.

When the top is lightly golden brown and the edges are perfectly crispy, the lasagna is done and ready to get in your belly. 

Creamy white sauce lasagna with cheesy topping, fresh lemon slices and fresh thyme.

Show your loved ones how much they mean to you by nourishing them with this cozy, delectable meal.

This crowd-pleasing meal is wonderful for a make-ahead weeknight meal and lovely to serve to guests.

Creamy white sauce lasagna in a casserole dish with cheesy topping, lemon slices and fresh thyme.

Creamy Vegetable Lasagna

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Creamy Vegetable Lasagna

Prep

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Total

Yield 8-10 servings

Creamy Vegetable Lasagna is pure comfort food. This real food version is packed with beautiful green vegetables, tangy lemon, fresh thyme and layered with a buttery cream sauce. It's gluten free with a grain free option too!

Ingredients

  • 1 small bunch asparagus, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 small fennel bulb, cut in half and sliced into small pieces 
  • 1 small leek, white part only - thinly sliced
  • 4 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced 
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 
  • 1 tsp Celtic sea salt, divided 
  • 5 tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee, divided
  • 3 tbsp Otto's cassava flour
  • 2 3/4 cups raw/organic/grass-fed milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
  • Zest of 2 organic lemons 
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • 15 oz organic ricotta cheese 
  • 1 cup shredded organic aged cheddar cheese 
  • 1 cup shredded organic mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded organic parmigiano-reggiano cheese 
  • 1 package gluten free lasagna noodles or grain free lasagna noodles 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375* F. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside. 
  2. Prep your asparagus and set aside. 
  3. In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons healthy fat of choice over medium-high heat. Add fennel, leek, garlic, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, sautéing for about 5 minutes or just until soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool. 
  4. In a small saucepan, make the homemade white sauce. Add 3 tablespoons healthy fat of choice and melt over medium-high heat. Once the fat has melted add the cassava flour whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, whisking frequently until sauce begins to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add whisk in lemon zest, lemon juice and Gruyère cheese.   
  5. In a bowl combine ricotta, cheddar and mozzarella shredded cheeses. Set aside. 
  6. Cover the bottom of the greased casserole dish with about 1 cup of sauce. Add 4 uncooked lasagna noodles {see notes if you're using a pasta that needed to be boiled first} on top of the sauce. Spread about 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Evenly spread about 1/3 of the sautéed veggie mixture and the chopped asparagus over the cheese. Top with another 4 lasagna noodles and repeat the above process until all noodles are used - the last layer should only be sauce on top of the noodles, then topped with the parmigiano-reggiano cheese. 
  7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the cheese on the top is light golden brown and the edges are bubbly and light golden brown.
  8. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.  

Notes

  • If you'd like to make a traditional boil and bake lasagna, boil the noodles for 4 minutes prior to lasagna assembly. 
  • If you wanted to make this dairy free, there are lots of wonderful dairy-free cashew and almond based cheeses on the market now. I have seen several that are even cultured! Try replacing the cheeses with dairy-free cheese of choice. For the ricotta cheese layer, try replacing with a cashew cheese spread (they sell cultured ones at my local natural foods grocery store). The white sauce would need a bit of altering to make it dairy free - and I have not attempted that yet. You could try making a white sauce with a roux like above - but you would need to replace the butter with ghee or avocado oil. You would also need to substitute the milk with a dairy-free milk and omit the cheese. 

Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Main Dishes + Gluten Free Treats too. Come follow along. 

The Art of Great Cooking With Your Instant Pot Cookbook - 80 INSPIRING GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES MADE EASIER, FASTER AND MORE NUTRITIOUS IN YOUR MULTI-FUNCTION COOKER | Recipes to Nourish // Instant Pot Recipes | Pressure Cooker Recipes | Gluten Free Recipes | Healthy Recipes | Real Food Recipes

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Comments

  1. This is just lovely Emily! We are seeing some asparagus from southern states coming here and ours will be ready in May so I can’t wait to make this!

    Reply

  4. Oh this looks so good and creamy! I wish we could do gruyere, I sure do love that cheese. But I’ll have to attempt the dairy-free version and let you know how it comes out!

    Reply

  9. This looks fabulous, Emily! I have a soft spot for veggie lasagna with white sauce, but have only ever eaten frozen versions from the store. I would love to make this with my little sister so we can enjoy it together. 🙂

    Reply

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