necessary eating

Embrace the Lasagna

Literal perfection. Photo: zkruger/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Ah, lasagna season. Common wisdom has it that January is a time for austerity, a time to cut back on fatty food, on alcohol, on all-day Netflix binges, on anything that makes life a little more enjoyable. But there is a better way, and that way is to embrace the beginning of lasagna season.

As our friends over at the Cut noted this week, lasagna is poised to be … trendy? But “lasagna” is not a trend. It is no passing fad. Lasagna is forever, and, like a shelter puppy that only wants to give you its love, it is time to let a lasagna into your life.

This is the weather forecast, in much of the country, for the next four to five months: gray, cold, rainy, snowy, or slushy. (Of course, “nice” is relative where weather is concerned, but you cannot conflate “sunny” and “warm” until at least April.)

This is the political forecast, in all of the country, for the remainder of 2020: miserable, with a presidential election that will be louder and more toxic than the last one, with no good outcome on the horizon. You will still be forced to think about Donald Trump every single day.

This is the lasagna forecast, for everyone, everywhere: flawless.

Let lasagna make life better. It is warm and comforting and noodle-y and saucy and wrapped in thick ribbons of cheese. Every bite is like an accordion of joy. Lasagna can not make your problems go away, but it can be the salve that helps soothe them.

Lasagna only wants what’s best for you.

There is a lasagna for everyone. There is vegetable lasagna for people who don’t eat meat. There is fancy lasagna for people with too much money. There are lasagna rolls for modernists and there is ragù for classicists. There is a cookbook called, simply, Lasagna, and it might be the best book ever written.

There is a restaurant in New York City called House of Lasagna, and have you ever seen a more enticing business sign than this?

Photo: Google Maps

If you met someone whose last name was Lasagna, you would want them to be your friend. “This is my friend, Tommy Lasagna,” you would say, introducing Tommy to other people who will want to be his friend, because how could you not want to be friends with Tommy Lasagna?

What do you do when your actual friends have a new baby and you visit them? You take a lasagna, because it’s the nice thing to do and you know they’ll eat like royalty for the better part of a week.

Yes, lasagna can be sort of a hassle to make, but once it’s done, you know it will last for days, and there will still be enough leftover to freeze for later.

Lasagna reheats beautifully.

Why would you shun lasagna? Why would you avoid it? Welcome it, enjoy it, love it, and let lasagna love you back.

Embrace the Lasagna