5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Lasagna Dinners, According to Diners
When it comes to Italian comfort food, lasagna is definitely near the top of the list. The hand-assembled, savory layered dish of pasta noodles with a variety of veggies, meats, and sauce is hearty and delicious. While the best lasagna is usually made by your Nonna, there are a handful of chains that do a pretty good job of assembling a diner-approved lasagna. Where should you go when you get your next craving? Here are 5 restaurant chains with the best lasagna dinners, according to diners.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Maggiano’s Little Italy’s Mom’s Lasagna is a meat-heavy rendition with layers of goodness, a blend of beef and Italian sausage, herb-ricotta, and a savory marinara, resulting in a bake that is “flavorful and extremely saucy,” according to a Yelper. “The ingredients taste so fresh and the pasta is perfect also,” another says. “The lasagna was stuffed with meats, cheeses and the marinara was delicious,” a third adds.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Matt Kirouac, one of our ETNT reviewers, picked Carrabba’s Italian Grill as the best lasagna of all the chains, noting that the chain “earns extra points for authenticity—or, at least the allusion of authenticity. Unlike any of the others, this one looked the most rustic and legit, as if an Italian nonna made it herself from scratch. Everything about it just looks wholesome and real, from the vibrant sauce and the freshly grated parmesan melting on top, to the part that stood out to me the most: the crispy edges on the pasta,” he writes in his review. The crispy edge offer a “textural treat, with the inner portion of the pasta being pleasantly chewy and soft, and the outer edges achieving a nice, caramelized crunch,” he continued. “The sauce is more balanced here, and not as sugary as some of the others. I could have used more meat, either in the sauce or between the pasta layers, but it still comes through and tastes fresh. Mostly, though, it’s the crispy texture and the right ratio of cheese that really set Carrabba’s apart.”
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Diners adore the rich artisan cheese layers and meaty filling of the Lasagna Bolognese at Romano’s Macaroni Grill, which features a bolognese sauce, Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, and imported pomodorina. “I went last night for my birthday and ordered this (as always)! I have loved your lasagna since I was a child!!” a Facebooker says. “I love this lasagna,” another adds.
Olive Garden
Olive Garden’s Lasagna Classico, “with layers of pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, pecorino romano, and meat sauce,” is another diner favorite. It looks “actually quite striking, with a presentation that far exceeded anything else on this list. It arrives in a cute bowl, tastefully seasoned with herbs, and sprinkled with the perfect amount of fluffy cheese. The pasta and sauce appear in perfect balance, and everything looks super fresh and tasty. Which it was…for the most part,” says Kirouac. “The texture and thickness of the pasta was great, and everything holds it shape remarkably well. The lasagna had the right amount of sauce and cheese, and technically it was pretty close to perfect.” Therese Buchanan, home chef, food blogger & recipe developer at Tessie’s Table, agrees. “It’s straightforward and filling with clear layers of pasta, meat sauce and cheese,” she recently told Eat This, Not That! “It doesn’t try to be fancy, but it delivers on taste every time.”
The Old Spaghetti Factory
The Old Spaghetti Factory’s “Famous Baked Lasagna,” made with noodles, marinara sauce, ground beef and pork, and four cheeses, is another crowd-pleaser. “The lasagna actually looked quite good, if a bit saucy. I like that the pasta all held its shape really well, and the marinara—while excessive—appeared fresh and flavorful,” says Kirouac. He notes that “it tastes like a spot-on classic lasagna. It’s slightly meaty, super saucy, and the pasta all holds its own.”