Catelli is at it again! They have added Gluten Free Lasagne and Gluten Free Linguine to their already stellar gluten free pasta lineup, which includes Spaghetti, Fusilli, Penne, and Macaroni. As with all their gluten free varieties, the Lasagne and Linguine are made from a unique four-grain blend of white rice, brown rice, corn, and quinoa.
In celebration of the launch of their brand new Gluten Free Lasagne noodles, Catelli is holding a “Catelli Reinvent Gluten Free Lasagne Challenge” and has asked myself and fellow gluten free bloggers to develop a unique lasagne recipe using their tasty pasta.
I had a lot of ideas…There really is SOOO much you can do with lasagne noodles! Catelli’s Gluten Free Lasagne noodles are about half as long as most regular lasagne noodles, which means lasagne roll-ups would be a little trickier, but what I liked was that it meant I could make mini-lasagnes!! I was able to try recipes out in a loaf pan, making just a couple of servings. Which is also pretty cool when you live alone and don’t want to have leftovers for days or if you have a full freezer haha 😉
I absolutely LOOOOVE mushrooms, so my first idea was a mushroom white lasagne. And, to be honest, it did turn out pretty delicious! I used four different types of mushrooms, created a rich bechamel sauce from scratch, and had a yummy cheesy mixture with sage and oregano. It was INCREDIBLY rich, but awesome. The only thing is, the bechamel or white sauce is very touchy. It’s tricky to get it to the correct consistency; not too watery, not too thick. And also to make a sufficient amount. So, I decided to scrap that one for now, though I am pretty excited about making alfredo sauces from scratch, in the future! I’ll get the hang of it 😉
I finally settled on a PEROGY lasagne! I used to love perogies before my diagnosis. And while there are several delicious gluten free versions of perogies, unfortunately they cost quite a bit more than their gluten-filled counterparts. That means, for me, they end up being a very rare treat.
But with Perogy Lasagne, you get all the yummy taste of perogies– the creamy potato, the smoky bacon, the caramelized onion, the cheese…OH, the cheese! –with either less work than making them from scratch, or at less cost than buying them 🙂
And this recipe is a cinch. I think the most difficult part is soaking the Catelli Gluten Free Lasagne noodles. I feel like this could potentially be avoided by adding some water to the pan while it bakes, but I didn’t want to take any chances and end up with crunchy noodles. And soaking them wasn’t really that big of a deal, anyways. Everything else you pretty much cook and mash all together! I added layers of peas on top of my potato layers for a pop of color and some added texture.
The result is a hearty, tasty, comforting lasagne, with that yummy perogy taste you know and love. I loved it garnished with green onion and a dollop of sour cream. I also loved cutting a leftover slice into pieces and frying it up with eggs as a delicious breakfast treat! It might not be much to look at, but I assure you these pictures do not do it justice!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! And I hope you’re inspired to come up with your own unique recipes using Catelli’s Gluten Free Lasagne noodles! You won’t be disappointed!
Perogy Lasagne with Peas and Bacon (gluten-free)
Ingredients:
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4 medium/large white potatoes
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8-10 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
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2 cups frozen peas, thawed
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5 tbsp plus ¼ cup butter, divided as 1 tbsp, 4tbsp, and ¼ cup
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1 small/medium onion, diced
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3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
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250g (one small container) 2% cottage cheese
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2 cups cheddar, divided as 1 cup and 1 cup
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¼ cup parmesan
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1 ½ cup mozzarella, divided as ½ cup and 1 cup
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½ cup milk
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¼ cup chopped green onion
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salt and pepper, to taste
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red pepper flakes, optional
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about 12 Catelli oven-ready gluten-free lasagne noodles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F (190C)
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Peel potatoes and cut into squares, boil in a large pot of salted water until soft.
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While potatoes are cooking, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan. Add diced onion and chopped garlic and sautee until translucent and slightly caramelized.
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When potatoes are soft, drain water from the pot. Add the crumbled bacon, cooked onions and garlic, cottage cheese, 4tbsp of butter, 1 cup cheddar, ¼ cup parmesan, ½ cup mozzarella, milk, green onion, and lots of salt and pepper. Mash all of these ingredients together. I used an electric hand mixer to make it nice and smooth.
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Fill a pot with hot water. You will use this to soak the lasagne noodles. I soaked them in batches as I needed them so that they didn’t get too soggy. For instance, soak the amount you’ll need for the base while you’re preparing the pan. When you place those soaked noodles in the pan as your base, soak more noodles while you’re layering the ingredients onto your lasagne. They need to soak for 5-10 minutes.
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Line the pan you are using for the lasagne with tin foil and/or grease the pan. I use tin foil and then grease the tin foil for less clean up. I recommend a nice deep square pan/dish as it looks nicer when there are more layers. I didn’t have anything deep, so I just made a larger, flatter lasagna. Still delicious!
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Gently remove a soaked lasagne noodle from the water. Pat gently with a paper towel, but it will still be wet, and that’s okay. This isn’t as difficult or annoying as I thought it might be 😉
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Place a layer of lasagne noodles into the pan. Based on their shape and the size of my pan I used four noodles for the base. If you’re using a deeper pan you should be able to just use two noodles for the base.
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Spoon potato mixture onto the noodles, covering evenly.
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Generously sprinkle a layer of peas on top of potato mixture.
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Repeat with a layer of noodles, then potato mixture, then peas, until you’ve filled your pan! The top layer will be just noodles.
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Melt the remaining ¼ cup of butter and pour over top of noodles.
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Cover noodles with 1 cup of cheddar and 1 cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, for a little hint of spice.
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Cover pan with tin foil, making sure the foil is not touching the cheese.
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Bake, covered, for 30min. Uncover and bake an additional 10min.
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Let stand 10min before enjoying! Garnish with green onion and serve with sour cream, if desired!
Sassy Celiac 