In Italian, lasagna refers to a type of pasta, specifically flat, wide sheets that are layered in a baked dish. The word lasagna can refer both to the pasta itself and the well-known baked dish made with alternating layers of pasta, sauce (often a meat-based ragù or tomato sauce), béchamel (white sauce), and cheese like mozzarella or Parmigiano-Reggiano. The plural form in Italian is lasagne, which is technically how you refer to the dish (multiple pasta sheets), but lasagna is commonly used in both singular and plural senses.
The origins of the word lasagna trace back to the Latin lasanum, meaning “cooking pot,” which itself comes from the Greek word lasanon. Over time, it became associated with the dish we know today.
For example:
Sto preparando una lasagna per cena. – I’m preparing lasagna for dinner.
Lasagne alla bolognese è una delle ricette più famose in Italia. – Lasagne Bolognese is one of the most famous recipes in Italy.