The Number Of Layers Your Lasagna Should Have

No matter what cooking challenge you're facing this week, lasagna is the solution. Need to feed a crowd? Make lasagna. Want to prep some packable lunch foods for the week ahead? Make lasagna. Trying to eat healthier without losing out on flavor? Surprisingly, make lasagna.

There's no such thing as a perfect food but lasagna is one that is highly suitable for a variety of occasions. As The Auguste Escoffier School of the Culinary Arts points out, lasagna is an easy way to feed yourself, or a party, and really isn't all that hard to make. This layered pasta dish requires surprisingly little culinary know how to bring together and is pretty hard to ruin. SFGATE adds that lasagna is also full of vital nutrients like protein, fats, carbohydrates, and B vitamins. And, because it's also a highly customizable dish, there's plenty of room for substitutions and additions.

There are even several types of lasagna that can help you lose weight: For example, you can omit the meat and add vegetables, go vegan and lighten up on some of the cheese, or swap out the pasta with strips of zucchini. 

While everyone knows that the lasagna is defined by its layers, just how many layers does lasagna truly need?

As far back as historians are able to tell, lasagna has always been made using layers of dough. According to Mi'talia Kitchen & Bar, the first form of lasagna was likely the Greek laganon, which was used to describe the earliest rendition of pasta in Europe. La Cucina Italiana credits this invention, however, to the Romans. A first century cookbook describes a dish consisting of layered pasta, cheese, and meats. It's certainly possible though that the dish may have been unrecognizable as lasagna at the time.

From this point, the dish continued to evolve and spread to take on many forms. Italy Magazine says the recipe for lasagna associated with the northern city of Bologna is often regarded as the de facto variant. Italian Kitchen Academy even registered an official recipe for Bolognese lasagna with the Bologna chamber of commerce.

While there have certainly been many different versions of lasagna along the years, the layers remain a key feature of the dish. So, how many should there be?

No matter what recipe or historic variation you choose to use, there is a limit to how many layers go in a lasagna. Home Cook World claims that the typical lasagna should have between three and five layers, but the proper number depends more on pan size. You don't want your lasagna to look flat or shallow in a large pan, and in this case, its best to prepare to come closer to five layers rather than three. If your pan can't handle that height though, less may be more. The outlet also suggested that bigger parties, or plans for leftovers, can garner additional layers.

That said, it is important to point out that you can go too far with a lasagna. Spoon University says over-layering your lasagna or including too many ingredients may cause it to cook unevenly. Even as the outside is bubbling and browning perfectly, those dense inner layers may still be lukewarm if there are too many.