It takes four people about two days. The ragu is a delicate thing ― Berkshire pork and wagyu leave charred footprints in the pan, quickly followed by red onion, garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, chili flakes, and a heavy glug of red wine ― that bubbles for the length of The Irishman.

Then there’s the bechamel sauce, which is made in-house, along with the sheets of pasta. The 100-layer lasagna at Fachini is a three-hour process of layering cheese sauce and meat, then smoothing on sheets of pasta that are paranormally thin.

They do 50, neatly-composed layers ― a sheet of pasta, then crumbles of ragu, then cheese and they smooth their hands over the top sheet ― then another 50 layers, and, carefully, slowly, oh don’t breathe, stack one 50-layer tower over the other.

“He wanted it to be dramatic,” says chef Michael Garcia of his boss and Fachini owner Julian Barsotti. They make one to two immense trays of the 100-layer lasagna per week, and they expect more over the holidays.

Dallas loves to lasagna over the holidays. It’s not a leap to understand why. Lasagna is the Lord of the Rings of Italian food: It’s immersive and inspiring and full of wizardry. Eatzi’s, the market that’s had lasagna in the case since they opened in 1996, makes about 4,000 orders in November and December alone. Lasagna is the best savory pasta cake. And it rests like a princess in a Grimm’s tale, with Day 2 lasagna the fairest of them all.

The mediocre options for lasagna in swing between achingly-sweet-from-tomato-paste (sorry, Campisi’s) or weirdly bland. The best ones ― Carbone’s, Fachini, Zoli’s, Jimmy’s ― are an orchestra of Italian flavors, wine and fatty meat and clouds of cheese tune up together. This is how to lasagna in Dallas:

Carbone’s Lasagna Bolognese

It needs time to rest. There’s a lot going on in Carbone’s bolognese pot over the four hours it roils around: House-cured pancetta, Berkshire pork and beef imprint the pan with browned bits, followed closely by milk, dried porcini mushrooms, and a lot of red wine. Sheets of pasta get layered with the sauce, lots of mozzarella, fresh ricotta, provolone, and a blizzard of Pecorino Romano.

Carbone’s will mow through 40 lasagnas this month ― the big, family-sized ones that, if you’re lucky, are ready-to-go in the fridge near the kitchen. Orders are piling in. Hold your breath if you’re hoping to get one over the holidays. The chances are slim, but there’s always hope.

Carbone’s, 4208 Oak Lawn Ave. 214.522-4208.

Fachini’s 100 Layer Lasagna alla Sunday

When it’s ordered, they do a geologist’s slice ― so you can see the time and pressure that went into it ― and drop the slice under the salamander broiler. “We love the crunchy edges,” Garcia says.

So do we, it turns out: It’s the top order at Fachini by a mile. Each $38, 100-layer slice is served with a pod of fresh ricotta on top. It is a magnificent thing, the crusty edges giving way to molten tomatoes and ricotta. It’s an orchestra of an Italian dish, inspired right out of New York’s arteries (see: Del Posto). It’s one of the best bites in the city.

Fachini, 33a Highland Park Village. 214-838-9688.

Eatzi’s Meat Lasagna

It’s waiting for you in the cold case, amongst the to-go salads. The lasagna is made in big batches, of course, each tin as large and heavy as a hardback copy of The Da Vinci Code. In fact, Eatzi’s reports that they’ll grind through 5,000 pounds of beef, 2,500 pounds of pork, and 1,250 pounds of veal (celebratory meatballs are made with all three). Yes, that’s over four tons of meat. Also, they’ll simmer down 500 gallons of marinara and 1,600 pounds of fresh ricotta.

Their lasagna is also sold in hefty slices for about 8 bucks a pop. It’s served over a spoonful of eye-openingly sweet tomato sauce. It’s a passable dish, but an impressive lasagna operation.

Multiple locations. Order at eatzis.com.

Zoli’s Smoked Brisket Lasagna

Jeff Bekavac, chief culinary officer at Cane Rosso and Zoli’s, likes to have a little fun with tradition. This winter, they’ll sell “meat wreaths," a hula hoop of pizza crust that’s having a party with all the toppings inside. (Essentially, they bend a calzone into this merry shape.) They’ll also accept orders for their smoked brisket lasagna: pasta sheets and whipped ricotta under tumbles of smoked brisket (done in-house at Zoli’s) that’s been hanging out in a bolognese for several hours. Chopped green chiles, a flicker of color you probably won’t find in a lasagna outside our Texas borders, is in the mix.

Before you squeal tires down to Zoli’s, remember it’s only available on the weekends. When it’s done, it’s done. It’s why some folks like to call ahead to reserve a lasagna. Bekavac will go through 20-30 orders on an average weekend, he says. Take the time to make it happen: The whipped ricotta that lives with it is stupendous, a milky cheese that pairs perfectly with a brightly salty fontina cream sauce.

Zoli’s, 14910 Midway Road, Addison, 469-754-9654; 3501 Hulen Street, Fort Worth, 817-402-0050.

Jimmy’s Sausage and Meatball Lasagna

If you time it right, you can literally witness the sausage get made at Jimmy’s Food Store. The beautiful fat and fennel blurs into its casing. Later, it’ll be in your lasagna. It may be in the freezer already, freshly packed, if it’s a good day. Over the holidays (or really any day around lunch), navigating Jimmy’s is like a trip to Disneyworld: You’re better off going during the off season. Tape your shins and elbows with thick magazines, and push your way to the freezer aisle. Parking is a choreographed dance of paralleling and swerving.

“We don’t make small ones,” says co-owner Mike DiCarlo with a bright laugh. “We make it seven days a week.” Jimmy’s will likely make 2,000 lasagnas this month.

It’s worth the traffic in the end, as the good oil and cheese bubble over. Their sauce is tangy, the trumpet-brightness of tomato and the nutty-fennel from the sausage laughably better than most freezer aisle options. Grabbing a tray of lasagna and some wild arugula is an easy, ingenious meal for the holidays or, truly, any day that’s coming up. It’ll cost you less than a twenty dollar bill at the 50-plus year-old East Dallas store. This is how you lasagna.

Jimmy’s Food Store, 4901 Bryan Street. 214-823-6180.