Lasagna

Lasagna is second only to pizza in the list of famed Italian foods, there is a reason this pasta-layered, tomato-sauce-infused, minced-meaty treat is so popular.

It originated in Italy, traditionally ascribed to the city of Naples (Campania), where the first modern recipe was created and published in Liber de Coquina (the book of cookery), and became a traditional dish. Traditional lasagna is made by interleaving layers of pasta with layers of sauce, made with ragù, bechamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

In other regions and outside of Italy it is common to find lasagna made with ricotta or mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, various meats (ground beef, pork or chicken), miscellaneous vegetables (spinach, zucchini, mushrooms) and typically flavored with wine, garlic, onion, and oregano. In all cases the lasagna are oven-baked.

Traditionally, pasta dough prepared in Southern Italy used semolina and water and in the northern regions, where semolina was not available, flour and eggs. Today in Italy, since the only type of wheat allowed for commercially sold pasta is durum wheat, commercial lasagna are made of semolina (from durum wheat).