Lasagna (singular, in Italian; plural lasagne pronounced 1) is both a form of pasta in sheets (sometimes rippled, though seldom so in Northern Italy) and also a dish, sometimes named lasagne al forno (meaning "oven-cooked lasagne") made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and often ragù (a meat sauce) or tomato sauce. In Italy the dish is called "Lasagne" and not "Lasagna".

The word lasagna, which originally applied to a cooking pot, now simply describes the food itself. Most English-speaking people follow the Italian usage and use the plural "lasagne" to refer to both the dish and the pasta, but Americans commonly use the singular "lasagna".

Variants

Various recipes call for several kinds of cheese, most often ricotta and mozzarella. Mozzarella is made in the Naples region so the use of these two cheeses is typical of Lasagne dishes made in Naples or further south.

Lasagne alla Bolognese uses only Parmigiano Reggiano, Bolognese meat ragù and a nutmeg flavored béchamel sauce (besciamella). Classic Bologna lasagne are always made with Lasagne verde (green lasagne) which is the normal egg pasta with spinach added, though in other towns of Emilia-Romagna the lasagne need not be green.

Today there are hundreds if not thousands of variants of lasagna from artichoke spinach lasagna to spicy chipotle lasagna. The dish lends itself favorably to many creative changes of ingredients by the home cook as well as the chef. Other variations include vegetarian or seafood versions of the dish.It is very easy to make.A good source of nutrients which can beed made from leeks,mushrooms and onion.

Łazanki is a similar dish made in eastern Europe.

Origin

Another theory suggests that lasagna might have come from Greek λάγανον (laganon), a kind of flat sheet of pasta dough cut into stripes.

The recipe was featured in the first cookbook ever written in England, leading to an urban legend that the dish originated in the British Isles. The claim is dubious, due to the much earlier Roman use of "lasanum", and the Italian embassy in London particularly speaks out against such theories.