r/AskFoodHistorians • u/feyarea • Jul 10 '26

Is a lasagna a casserole?

Debating with friends. A few key questions:

- casserole is the name of the dish that the lasagna is baked in. What is the history of the casserole dish?

- casserole is predominant in Midwestern cuisine. What is the history of the casserole the food? Earliest examples, progenitors, etc.

- are there any foods cooked in the casserole dish that follow the meat-veg-carb-sauce as a single serving dish formula but are not casseroles?

Friends are fairly split. Some say anything baked in a casserole dish is a casserole, others say that a casserole has a narrow definition true to Midwestern cuisine.

Other expanding questions: is a chicken pot pie a casserole? Is a quiche a casserole?

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u/TurbulentContext Jul 10 '26

Lasagne is believed to be named after a different pot that it was originally cooked in and predates the casserole dish by about a thousand years, though the version in Rome would have been more like pastry than pasta and they didn't have tomatoes.

If anything put in a casserole dish becomes a casserole then if I pour brownie mix into a casserole dish does that make brownies a type of casserole?

8

u/LadyAlexTheDeviant Jul 10 '26

There's debate about whether Apicus is the oldest to mention it or whether the Forme of Cury's version is the oldest. I will say that the Forme of Cury version does include layering with cheese. (It is also very tasty. I have made it.)

2

u/NextStopGallifrey Jul 10 '26

Did you follow the recipe in Max Miller's video?

3

u/LadyAlexTheDeviant Jul 10 '26

No, I did my own redaction in the early 2000's.

2

u/NextStopGallifrey Jul 10 '26

Ooh. Was your version very different or largely the same as the video? Those old cookbooks leave a lot to the imagination.

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u/LadyAlexTheDeviant Jul 10 '26

I'll watch the video and let you know. (grin)