Lasagna: Alitalia vs. United Airlines

I’ve compared afternoon tea on British Airways and United. This week’s Meal of the Week compares lasagna lunches on United and Alitalia.

#1: Alitalia (Madrid to Rome / August 2017)

You’ll note the lasagna noodles are green. Usually that means spinach or basil inside the noodles. If that was the case here, the meat and cheese totally drowned out the taste. But no complaints from me: the cheese was nicely melted and the mix of sausage and beef made for an extremely tasty meal. I would have liked to see a bit heartier portion (my pictures make it appear deceptively large) and a side of parmesan cheese, but this was excellent. Also note the side green salad with a simple olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing as well as a mediocre white roll.

#2: United (Washington Dulles to San Diego / August 2007)

The portion size of United’s lasagna was huge and brimming with chunky tomato sauce with beef. No sausage in this lasagna, just beef with plenty of melted cheese on top and ricotta inside. While the flavor of the sauce and the meat was not particularly rich, the lasagna tasted surprisingly homemade. The side salad included iceberg lettuce, a single cucumber slice, and a single cherry tomato, with ranch dressing. A warm sourdough bread roll rounded out the meal.

Who Wins?

I’d give the edge to Alitalia, but both lasagna lunches were good. I’d say the sausage in Alitalia’s version made it slightly better than United. You’ll note the date on the United meal–I have not seen lasagna in many years on United, and that’s a bad thing. Airlines tend to screw up pasta-based dishes far less often than meat or fish dishes. Alitalia had the better salad as well, while United had better bread.