Instagram Is Drooling Over Alex Guarnaschelli's Homemade Lasagna

There are more than 600 pasta shapes in the world, according to Share The Pasta, from farfalle to rotini to penne and everything in between. One of the most popular in Italian cooking, and one that almost every American is familiar with as well, is the lasagna noodle. The wide and flat pasta is most often baked in a casserole dish where it's traditionally stacked in alternating layers of noodles, tomato sauce, and cheese. In its most basic form, the dish is quintessential Italian comfort food.

Search "lasagna" on Pinterest and you'll find hundreds if not thousands of different ways to make lasagna, from the classic to the more unique. Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli has a few recipes herself, including a noodle-free lasagna that uses zucchini, eggplant, and a white béchamel sauce from her Italian grandmother (via TODAY). However, it's not her lighter alternative that has Instagram talking. The "Chopped" judge shared a photo of a classic lasagna that she baked that's dripping in cheesy goodness and fans are all about it.

"Those curly edges," Alex Guarnaschelli captioned the photo she posted on Instagram on April 20. The star of the post is a homemade lasagna that's bursting at the seams with crusty cheese and ruffled noodles and nearly overflowing with a red tomato sauce. Many of her followers comment about how delicious Guarnaschelli's lasagna looks, especially the "burnt" cheese on top. "That toasty cheese!!! I'm drooling over here," one person wrote, while another went so far as to say, "I want to just peel the top layer and eat it with my fingers." 

The lasagna post also garnered comments from some fellow chefs, like previous "Top Chef" contestant Eric Adjepong who says "Yes, please. This looks amazing," and Cliff Crooks demanding "I'll take that bottom right corner thanks!!!"

As for how she gets that browned and bubbly cheese on top? The celebrity chef responded to a fan's comment asking that exact question, revealing that she broils it at the end in the oven. Bon Appetit cautions, however, only to uncover the lasagna for the final few minutes, otherwise, you could end up with a dried-out casserole. The culinary website recommends taking the foil off the top once the lasagna is halfway finished baking and watching it carefully to ensure the cheese browns but doesn't burn. 

When it comes to burnt cheese, we say to each his own!