Pizza, pasta, and gelato are probably the first foods that come to mind when thinking of Italian cuisine, but they don’t begin to scratch the surface of the variety of traditional foods offered throughout the country. In Bologna, you’ll find regional specialties like mortadella, parma ham, and tortellini, but make sure you don’t miss out on the city’s famous green lasagna.

As with many authentic dishes, lasagna in Bologna is a bit different from what you'll find in North America. Bologna's green lasagna noodles incorporate spinach to give them their signature color and flavor. To make them, any type of spinach will work, even frozen. First, blanch and dry your spinach, then combine it with eggs and flour and process until smooth.

Once you have your spinach noodles, you can make classic lasagna Bolognese by layering your noodles with ragù and béchamel. Then top your lasagna with Parmigiano Reggiano and bake. Note that classic lasagna Bolognese tends to be thinner, with only a small amount of sauce spread between noodles and a noticeable lack of the ricotta that typically beefs up lasagna.