For people unaccustomed to it, the idea of lasagna at Thanksgiving might seem extreme. When the holiday table is already buckling under the weight of stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and a giant main course, the choice to add a tray of bubbling, saucy lasagna may not seem obvious – but that’s what makes it so special.

Growing up, Searching for Italy host and actor Stanley Tucci would go to his aunt’s house for Thanksgiving, which tended to kick off with a course of Italian wedding soup, with escarole and chicken meatballs. “And then there would inevitably be some kind of lasagna or baked pasta of some sort,” he told Food & Wine. “And then of course, you had all the American stuff. There usually was always pasta. We find it very difficult not to have pasta on the table at some point.”