Wait, Is Lasagna Actually a Casserole?

What exactly is a casserole anyway?

Some things in life are abundantly clear. For instance, this is pasta…

...and this is a casserole.

Is everybody on the same page so far? Good. Now, what is this?

Lasagna certainly looks like a casserole, but it’s usually associated more with pasta dishes, like spaghetti. For instance, if you want to find our World's Best Lasagna recipe on Allrecipes.com, you'll find it filed under "Pasta," not under "Casseroles."

This conundrum begs the question: What exactly is a casserole?

What Is a Casserole?

The casserole has been a staple in American kitchens since the ‘50s, when one-pot and easy-to-prepare meals began to skyrocket in popularity. The ultimate comfort food, “casserole” refers to both a type of food and the dish that it is baked in.

Merriam-Webster lists two (food-related) definitions for the word:

1. A dish in which food may be baked and served

2. Food cooked and served in a casserole [dish]

We love you, MW, but that explanation leaves a lot to be desired. We took it upon ourselves to define “casserole” (the one you eat, not the dish) in a better, more specific way. Here’s what we landed on:

A casserole is a cohesive, one-dish meal that's baked.

So what about lasagna? Cohesive? Check. One-dish meal? Check. Baked? Check, check, check.

Lasagna is, in fact, already a casserole. Though, technically, with the lasagna noodles, you could call it a "pasta casserole," similar to a tuna noodle casserole or a baked spaghetti, so both recipe classifications are correct.

Now that we've settled that, on to the next debate: is a hot dog a sandwich?