This North Carolina Italian Restaurant Stacks Its Famous Lasagna 15 Layers High

Fifteen layers sounds less like lasagna and more like a construction project.

Yet somehow, this North Carolina kitchen stacks every sheet of house-made pasta into a slice that arrives looking far more organized than anything with that many levels has a right to be.

The first cut is almost suspiciously neat.

Then you realize just how much is packed into one serving.

That height is not there for show alone. Each layer gives the Bolognese somewhere else to settle, which makes the whole thing feel richer without turning the plate into a collapsing tower.

Chef Oscar Gnapi has confirmed the count, so yes, someone really did keep track.

And once you know there are fifteen layers, good luck not counting them with your fork.

The dish has become the kind of order people talk about before the check even arrives.

Part dinner, part engineering flex. Either way, it is very hard to ignore.

Count The Layers Before Your Fork Even Reaches The Bottom

Fifteen. That is the number, and once your plate lands you will probably want to count for yourself.

The slice stands upright like a small edible skyscraper, with each thin sheet of pasta clearly visible along the side.

Guests at the Fenton location often snap a photo before touching it, and honestly, that reaction makes sense. Executive Chef Oscar Gnapi has confirmed the layer count publicly, and he has talked about how much precision goes into stacking that many sheets without the whole thing sliding apart.

A little tip from regulars: look at the slice from the side at eye level before you cut in. You can trace the alternating bands of pasta, sauce, and creamy besciamella all the way down.

Kids love this part, and so do adults who grew up on boxed noodles and three layers of ricotta. Counting layers turns dinner into a small event, and it explains why the dish shows up in so many reviews and photos from Cary diners.

Order The Lasagna Bolognese That Made This Dish A Signature

Menus change with the seasons at Colletta, but the Lasagna Bolognese has become the dish people ask about by name. Servers hear the request constantly, and it has quietly turned into the restaurant’s calling card in the Fenton district.

Ordering it is simple. Look under the pasta section, ask your server for the lasagna, and expect a generous portion that can honestly feed you twice.

Several reviewers mention taking half of it home and liking the leftovers even more the next day, which is a nice bonus at a spot where entrees carry a special-occasion price tag.

If you are dining with a group, consider making the lasagna one of the shared plates. The restaurant also offers a family-style option where each guest picks courses and everyone passes dishes around the table, and that setup lets you taste the famous stack without giving up your own entree.

Reservations help too, since evenings at Fenton fill quickly on weekends.

Notice How The Housemade Pasta Keeps All 15 Layers Surprisingly Neat

Here is the part that impresses cooks: a 15-layer stack should collapse into a puddle. It does not, and the credit goes to pasta made from scratch in the kitchen rather than pulled from a box.

Fresh sheets are rolled thin enough that fifteen of them fit into a normal slice height. They also hold moisture differently than dried pasta, so the layers grip each other instead of sliding apart when the knife goes in.

Think of it like stacking damp paper versus stiff cardboard. The soft, pliable sheets settle together into one tidy block.

Colletta makes pasta daily, and that same dough shows up across the menu in shapes like tagliatelle and campanelle. Gluten-free pasta is available on request if someone at your table needs it.

Watch the first cut closely. A clean edge with distinct stripes tells you the kitchen nailed both the rolling and the resting time, and that is harder than it sounds.

Dig Into Beef Bolognese Besciamella And Basil In Every Slice

Three flavors do the heavy lifting here, and each one earns its spot. Certified Angus Beef bolognese brings the deep, slow-cooked savory base, the kind of sauce that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.

Besciamella, the classic Italian white sauce made from butter, flour, and milk, adds the creaminess. Instead of clumps of ricotta, you get smooth ribbons spread across every layer, which is exactly why the slice feels rich rather than heavy in one spot.

Fresh basil finishes the plate with a bright, herbal lift that cuts through all that dairy and meat. Some menu versions also fold in parmesan, mozzarella, and whipped ricotta for extra depth.

Take one bite that includes all fifteen layers at once. You get pasta, beef, cream, and herb together, and that balance is the whole point of building the dish so tall.

Eat it slowly. Rushing through a plate this layered means missing the small differences between the top and the bottom.

Pair The Lasagna With Focaccia Or A Simple Starter

Worth knowing before you sit down: complimentary bread is not part of the deal here. The focaccia with whipped honey butter is a paid antipasto, and diners mention it in reviews more than almost any other starter.

People describe a slight crunch on the outside, soft inside, and honey butter that one guest said she would happily spread on anything. Fifty-plus reviews mention the focaccia specifically, which says something.

If bread is not your thing, the antipasti list keeps it easy. Marinated olives make a light nibble, burrata brings creamy contrast, and polpette gives you a warm-up of meatballs before the main event.

Strategy matters with a dish as filling as a 15-layer lasagna. Pick one small starter to share rather than loading the table, because that pasta slice arrives bigger than most people expect.

A Caesar salad also gets steady praise and offers a crisp, tangy break between courses.

Try Another Handmade Pasta If You Still Have Room

Lasagna gets the headlines, but the rest of the pasta list deserves a look. Tagliatelle shows up in dozens of reviews from Cary diners, and creste di gallo, radiatori nero, campanelle, ravioli, and ricotta gnudi round out the handmade selection.

Each shape holds sauce differently. Ridged and curled pastas grab thicker sauces, while flat ribbons like tagliatelle work beautifully with meat-based ones.

One guest raved about the mafaldine, a vegetarian dish with mushrooms, charred scallions, and sunchokes, and admitted the noodle itself became a new favorite even though she usually orders meat.

Sharing is the smart play. Order the lasagna plus one other pasta for the table and split both, which lets you compare textures without ordering three entrees you cannot finish.

Gluten-free pasta is available on request, so nobody has to sit out. Ask your server which shapes are running that week, since the menu rotates with the seasons and local North Carolina ingredients.

Save This Cary Stop For A Dinner When Ordinary Lasagna Will Not Cut It

Birthdays, anniversaries, and celebration dinners fill Colletta’s tables most nights, and the staff leans into it. Guests describe surprise desserts, personalized gifts based on a questionnaire filled out at booking, and managers stopping by to offer congratulations.

You will find the restaurant at 1 Fenton Main St, Suite 170, in Cary, with a 4.3-star average across more than 1,200 reviews. Doors open at 11 AM daily, with closing at 10 PM most nights, 11 PM on Friday and Saturday, and 9 PM on Sunday.

Call ahead at 919-766-0062 or book online, especially for weekends. Reviewers repeatedly warn that walk-ins face waits when Fenton gets busy.

Outdoor seating with overhead fans works well in mild weather, and private rooms handle larger parties comfortably. Prices run higher than a neighborhood pasta joint, so treat it as a planned night out rather than a quick weekday stop.

Bar seating exists too, if you want the lasagna without a full sit-down.

Leave With A New Standard For How Tall Lasagna Should Be

Something funny happens after this meal. The next lasagna you order anywhere else looks a little short, and you catch yourself counting layers out of habit.

That is the real souvenir from Colletta. Fifteen layers reset your expectations, and plenty of Triangle diners say the dish ruined boxed-noodle casseroles for them permanently.

Home cooks can borrow the idea too. Rolling pasta thinner and adding more layers changes the texture completely, giving you a slice that holds its shape instead of sliding into mush.

Finish the night with dessert if you can manage it. The spumoni comes with a tableside marshmallow toast, the tiramisu wins over people who claim not to like tiramisu, and everything is made in-house.

Then head out into the Fenton district for a walk, maybe past the ice rink if you visit during winter. A 15-layer dinner deserves a little stroll afterward, and you will already be planning which pasta shape to try on your next visit.