National Lasagna Day

National Lasagna Day History

National Lasagna Day is dedicated to appreciating lasagna. Lasagna is a flat-shaped pasta that is layered with sauce and various ingredients, the most popular including beef, spinach, cheese, or seafood. Lasagna is believed to have originated in Naples, Italy. The first lasagna recipe appears in The Liber de Coquina (The book of cooking/cookery), which is one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. Some have suggested that lasagna comes from the Greek word laganon, which stands for a flat sheet of pasta dough. Others however suggest that lasagna comes from a 14th-century British recipe called Loseyn, which included layering ingredients between pasta sheets. National Lasagna Day is observed on July 29th of every year.

National Lasagna Day seems to have been started in 2011 as a promotion for the layered pasta. It is observed annually on July 29th.

Top 10 Facts for National Lasagna Day in 2026

• The 2026 observance encourages participants to expand their culinary horizons by exploring regional variations, such as Naples-style lasagna, which traditionally incorporates tiny meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, and ricotta cheese.
• Social media engagement for the 2026 event focuses on sharing homemade 'making of' videos and family-secret recipes using the dedicated hashtag #NationalLasagnaDay to inspire fellow home cooks.
• Community-focused celebrations in 2026 highlight the impact of organizations like Lasagna Love, which leverage the holiday to foster neighborhood connections and combat food insecurity through the gift of home-cooked meals.
• The dish's history dates back to the 14th century, with one of the earliest recorded recipes found in the medieval cookbook Liber de Coquina, which describes a version layered with cheese and spices rather than the tomato sauce used today.
• While often associated with pasta, the term 'lasagna' is widely believed by food historians to have originally referred to the specific type of cooking pot, or 'lasanon,' in which the dish was prepared.
• A luxury version of the dish, known as the 'Diamond and Gold Lasagna,' remains a notable curiosity and is famously served at the Portofino Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, featuring ingredients like Kobe beef and foie gras.
• The linguistic distinction between the two terms is that 'lasagna' refers to the individual dish, whereas 'lasagne' is the correct plural term for the wide, flat pasta noodles themselves.
• Because tomatoes were not introduced to Europe until after Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the Americas, early lasagna recipes were strictly tomato-free, relying instead on ingredients like artichokes, spinach, and various cheeses.
• Garfield, the iconic comic strip cat, is frequently cited as the unofficial mascot of the holiday due to his famous and unwavering love for the dish.
• * The world record for the largest lasagna was set in 2012 in Poland, utilizing massive quantities of ingredients including 800 kilograms of meat and 500 liters of tomato sauce to create a giant, record-breaking tray.

In the News and Trending for National Lasagna Day

Top things to do for National Lasagna Day

• Enjoy lasagna specials on National Lasagna Day at your favorite eatery. Many restaurants offer free lasagna, discounts and Lasagna special to celebrate the day.
• Try a healthier alternative to the traditional lasagna. Lasagna can be vegan, gluten-free, and made without dairy products. Here are some vegan lasagna options:
  1) Vegan lasagna with tofu ricotta and butternut squash
  2) Mexican lasagna with layers of refried beans, avocado, guacamole and fresh veggies
  3) Zucchini and tomato lasagna with a cashew and herb cheese
  4) Mushroom, pesto, spinach and tofu cheese lasagna
  5) Eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, mushroom, tomato and basil lasagna with tofu ricotta
• Cook a lasagna in the slow cooker, rather than a conventional oven. As with a baked lasagna, layer noodles, cheese and toppings in the slow cooker and let it cook slowly. Slow cooker meals are great for a busy family that still likes to eat a nutritious meal at the end of a long day.
• Cook your lasagna in a dishwasher. According to MythBusters, the popular television show on the Discovery network, this is definitely feasible.
• Attend a cooking vacation in Italy where you week-long cooking class at Taste of Italy cooking school in Tuscany, Italy where they teach students how to make lasagna the traditional, Italian way.