High-Protein Gluten-Free Lasagna With 50 Grams of Protein Per Serving
Comfort food is officially back on the table.
If there is one thing I want Worth the Bite to prove, it is that eating gluten-free does not mean giving up the meals you actually want to eat. And eating more protein definitely does not mean your dinner has to be chicken, rice and broccoli every night.
So, for the first official recipe release from Worth the Bite, we are making lasagna.
Not a tiny portion of lasagna with a side of something else to make it “high protein.”
A big, cheesy, comforting bowl of gluten-free lasagna with approximately 50 grams of protein per generous serving.
This is exactly what Worth the Bite is about.
Why I Created Worth the Bite
I have been living with celiac disease for about 10 years, which means I have spent a decade figuring out how to make gluten-free food feel less like a restriction and more like food I genuinely get excited to eat.
One of the biggest things I have learned?
Gluten-free food does not have to look like the sad alternative at the table.
And as I started focusing more on getting enough protein into my day, I realized I did not want that goal to take the fun out of food either.
I love comfort food.
I want lasagna. I want crispy potatoes. I want pizza. I want creamy risotto. I want big bowls of food that actually leave me satisfied.
I also want meals that help me hit my protein goals.
Those two things can exist at the same time.
That is exactly why I created Worth the Bite: 10 High-Protein Gluten-Free Meals.
And this lasagna felt like the perfect recipe to give you a first bite.
High-Protein Gluten-Free Lasagna
This is a hearty, cheesy gluten-free lasagna made with grass-fed ground beef, protein marinara, cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella and gluten-free brown rice lasagna noodles.
The entire pan contains approximately 400 grams of protein, which comes out to about 50 grams of protein per serving when divided into eight generous portions.
Servings: 8 generous servings
Protein: Approximately 50g per serving
Protein per pan: Approximately 400g
Oven: 375°F
Bake + rest time: Approximately 55 minutes
Estimated calories: Approximately 495 to 500 per serving when divided into 8 servings
Nutrition information is estimated and will vary depending on the specific brands, substitutions, portion sizes and preparation methods you use.
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
2 lb Verde Farms 93/7 organic grass-fed ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Kettle & Fire Classic Beef Bone Broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 jar, 17 oz, Sturdy Sauce Protein Marinara
Garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
For the lasagna:
9 sheets Jovial Organic Gluten-Free Brown Rice Lasagna
1 tub, 16 oz, Good Culture 2% cottage cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
How to Make High-Protein Gluten-Free Lasagna
1. Prep the noodles
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Cook the Jovial gluten-free lasagna sheets according to the package directions, then set them aside while you prepare the rest of the lasagna.
2. Brown the beef
Add the ground beef and finely chopped onion to a large skillet.
Cook until the beef is browned and the onion has softened.
Season with garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Build the meat sauce
Add the beef bone broth and tomato paste to the skillet.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to incorporate into the beef.
Stir in the entire jar of protein marinara and allow everything to simmer together for a few minutes.
4. Make the cheese filling
In a separate bowl, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, egg and dried basil.
Stir until everything is evenly combined.
The cottage cheese is one of my favorite additions here because it keeps that creamy, cheesy lasagna texture while adding significantly more protein to the finished meal.
5. Layer the lasagna
Spread a thin layer of meat sauce across the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Add a layer of gluten-free lasagna noodles, followed by meat sauce and the cottage cheese mixture.
Repeat the layers.
Finish the top with the remaining sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.
6. Bake
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to lightly brown.
7. Let it rest
This part matters.
Let the lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Giving it a few minutes to sit allows the layers to set so you get an actual slice of lasagna instead of everything sliding apart the second it hits your bowl.
Then dig in.
How Does This Gluten-Free Lasagna Have 50 Grams of Protein?
I wanted the protein to come from the actual meal rather than turning this into something that no longer tasted or felt like lasagna.
The biggest contributor is the two pounds of lean grass-fed ground beef, but the cottage cheese, protein marinara, mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, bone broth and even the gluten-free pasta contribute additional protein.
The finished pan contains approximately 404 grams of protein.
If you divide the pan into:
8 servings: approximately 50g protein and 495 to 500 calories per serving
10 servings: approximately 40g protein and 395 to 400 calories per serving
12 servings: approximately 34g protein and 330 to 335 calories per serving
That means you can portion it based on your own appetite and nutrition goals instead of feeling like there is one “correct” serving size.
A Note for My Gluten-Free and Celiac Readers
Every ingredient I used to develop this recipe was selected as a gluten-free ingredient, but products and manufacturing practices can change.
Always check the current label and select ingredients that meet your own gluten-free and cross-contact needs.
If you have celiac disease, you already know the drill: the ingredient itself being naturally gluten-free does not automatically answer every cross-contact question.
Check your products every time.
This Is Only the First Bite
This lasagna is one of 10 high-protein, comfort-food-inspired gluten-free meals inside my first Worth the Bite digital recipe collection.
I created this collection because I was tired of the idea that eating gluten-free, eating high protein or trying to fuel your body well means every meal has to look the same.
It does not.
Your high-protein dinner can be lasagna.
It can be crispy gnocchi.
It can be braised short rib over creamy risotto.
It can be a loaded twice-baked potato.
It can be pizza.
It can be the kind of food you are genuinely excited to make for dinner.
Worth the Bite: 10 High-Protein Gluten-Free Meals includes 10 full recipes built around exactly that idea: comforting, substantial, protein-forward gluten-free meals that do not feel like the “gluten-free version” of something better.
The complete digital recipe collection is available now in my Etsy shop.
Want all 10 recipes? Shop the full Worth the Bite recipe collection through the Etsy link on my website.
Gluten Free High Protein Cookbook PDF | 10 Easy GF Dinner Recipes | Digital Recipe Book | Celiac Friendly Meal Ideas - Etsy
Download it. Pick the recipe you want to make first. Save the others for later.
And if you start with this lasagna, you already know what I am going to say:
Have a bite.
Gluten-free does not mean missing out.
