What broad shape are lasagna pasta sheets?

Lasagna pasta sheets are wide, flat sheets.

The pasta is made by rolling dough into broad sheets, which can be cut into squares or long rectangles. Some commercial versions have straight edges, while others are ridged or ruffled; these variations change the edge, not the basic sheet-like shape.

The sheets are commonly layered with fillings such as ragù, béchamel, vegetables, and cheese before being baked. This structure distinguishes lasagna from shell-shaped, ribbon-shaped, or tubular pastas, which are designed to hold sauce in different ways.

The word has a complicated history. Possible ancestors include the Greek laganon, a flat sheet of dough cut into strips, and the Latin lasanum, associated with a cooking pot. The oldest known written reference to lasagna dates to 1282, while the first recorded recipe appeared in the early 14th century.