lasagna

American

[luh-zahn-yuh, lah-] / ləˈzɑn yə, lɑ- /

Or lasagne

noun

large, flat, rectangular strips of pasta.
a baked dish consisting of layers of this pasta, cheese, tomato sauce, and usually meat.

Etymology

Origin of lasagna

1840–50; < Italian < Vulgar Latin *lasania cooking pot (hence, apparently, the contents of the pot), for Latin lasanum, lasanus chamber pot < Greek lásana (plural), originally, trivet or stand for a pot

Explanation

If you want to be the star of the potluck, bring a big pan of lasagna. Layers of tender noodles, savory red sauce, creamy ricotta, and melty mozzarella will tempt almost everyone. Lasagna is the name for both a type of wide, flat pasta and the delicious dish you make by layering that pasta with other ingredients and baking. This Italian word can also be spelled lasagne, which is actually its plural form. The earliest known lasagna recipe dates from the 1500s, when historians describe it being made from fermented dough, spices, and cheese.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Aluminum trays of pasta bakes: lasagna, baked spaghetti, manicotti, stuffed shells.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

And then there’s a lasagna that’s just, like, full-on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

Whether they’re stuffed with brisket and “max” sauce, glazed in kimchi caramel, or tucked into a lasagna pan, the point isn’t purity.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2025

His wife, Megan, and their daughters — Georgia and Eve — were in the kitchen making salad and lasagna.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2025

Cooking frozen lasagna had tired his mum out so badly she fell asleep five minutes into EastEnders.

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023