In Flora's Kitchen – No-Boil Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles

Let’s face it, lasagna is really good, but a lot of work. No wonder the no-boil noodles are so popular.

Well, to my knowledge there aren’t any no-boil gluten free noodles. And if they exist, they certainly aren’t in any stores I shop at.

I buy the Tinkyada brand pasta, and overall I think they are the best gluten-free noodles. However, the lasagna noodles are very fragile once cooked and aren’t exactly easy to handle. This is a bit frustrating, so I figured there must be a better way.

I know some people claim you don’t have to pre-cook lasagna noodles, but I have never liked the texture of this method.

However, I found a solution.

If you soak the gluten free lasagna noodles in really hot tap water for about 20-30 minutes there is no need to pre-boil them. I use a 9×13 baking dish for this and when I was done soaking I just poured the water off. You have slightly softened, but easy to handle lasagna noodles, ready to be layered.

This will save you the pre-boil step and the hassle of dealing with very fragile cooked noodles. A couple of my noodles did stick together while soaking, but seriously, this was much less hassle than dealing with fully cooked gluten free lasagna noodles.

Once soaked and drained you can just proceed with layering the lasagna as usual. I like to cover the lasagna with foil for at least the first half of the baking time and then remove the foil so the top can brown nicely. The noodles turn out perfectly cooked this way and the top doesn’t get too done.

I hope you find soaking lasagna noodles a helpful tip and I hope it saves you some time and energy in the kitchen.

I posted a great chicken lasagna recipe if you are looking for ideas.

Happy gluten free cooking!

Lynn May 14, 2010 at 7:11 am -

I am so glad that you posted this. I bought some gluten free las. noodles and plan to make lasagna. Now I know the best way to cook them.
Char May 14, 2010 at 9:39 am -

Just for reference DeBoles makes a no boil lasagna noodle – from rice flour.

I love your soaking idea though.
Flora May 17, 2010 at 10:56 am -

Thanks for letting me know about the no boil ones. I’ll have to check those out.
krista September 4, 2010 at 3:41 pm -

thanks for this tip-I am going to try it now with the DeBoles noodles I have.
jessie December 20, 2010 at 12:55 pm -

Thanks for this post. I was about to try something along these lines as I’ve had A LOT of trouble with the Tinkyada noodles once cooked. I was happy to find someone who had already figured out a way to make it easier!
Sherl February 5, 2011 at 4:12 pm -

Thank you! I honestly avoid GF pasta in recipes as I don’t know what to expect… (still new to this) but am craving lasagna and plan to make for company tomorrow. Have been searching for tips on to-boil or not – so will try your method with my Tinkyada noodles. Can’t wait!
ChefTom April 2, 2011 at 3:14 pm -

Flora,

I’m a personal chef specializing in cooking for folks with food allergies and sensitivities. They DO crave lasagne. I found the DeBoles brand and have them on order (they are in the Whole Foods system, so you can ask your grocery person). Thanks for the presoak tip, that’s wonderful. I also found a recipe for dairy-free ricotta made from almonds that’s great in lasagna. Anyway, thanks again.
Jenn April 22, 2012 at 2:39 am -

Thank you so much for this tip! I’ve been trying to figure out how to handle these noodles as they literally have been falling apart upon cooking. I will definitely try this next time.