Lasagna Cupcakes Recipe

Wonton Wrapper Lasagna Cupcakes (domesticcharm.blogspot.com)

Lasagna cupcakes burst onto the scene saving time and creating the perfect Italian bite-sized treat. They’re ideal for any party with less chance of spilling like chips and dip and the taste is incredible. I’ve always wanted to make them but opted for traditional lasagna because I could never find wanton wrappers. I’ve recently been experimenting with spring roll wrappers as an alternative and found a recipe that works well with them. Although it is slightly easier to use wanton wrappers, spring roll wrappers still get the job done and taste delightful. I’ve added helpful tips for those who, like me, can never find wanton wrappers and elect to use spring roll wrappers instead. Lasagna cupcakes are a crunchy, cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth treat that you can use to dazzle at parties or satisfy your inner Italian comfort food monster.

Total Time:1. 5 hours

Number of Lasagna Cupcakes: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Meat Sauce:

• 2 TB (Tablespoon) olive oil
• One cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium onion diced
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb Italian beef sausage, chicken sausage, or Tofurkey sausage, with the casings removed on the beef and chicken sausage
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Filling:

• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
• ¾ cup grated parmesan
• ¾ cup part-skim ricotta
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package of wanton wrappers (at least 48) or 2 packages of spring roll wrappers (I can never find wanton wrappers in my local grocery stores so I use spring roll wrappers. They’re about the same consistency but need more cooking time, are larger so they need to be cut in half, and are thinner so you need to use more.)

Bake it:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Find your cupcake pan and lightly coat it with cooking spray
• In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat
• Mince and dice the garlic and onion while the olive oil heats up
• Add the cinnamon stick, garlic, and onion, and add salt and pepper to taste

• Cook this mixture until the onions are softened, then remove the cinnamon stick
• Add the sausage and break it up into small clumps with a wooden spoon in the skillet (If you used the tofurkey sausage, you will need to chop it into small pieces before adding it to the skillet.)

• Cook the sausage until it is thoroughly cooked
• Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and basil
• Add salt and pepper to taste

• Let simmer for about 15 minutes but occasionally stir the mixture
• Remove the meat sauce from the heat and let it cool while you create the filling
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta, and season with salt and pepper to taste

• Place a wonton wrapper (or 3 spring roll wrappers that were cut in half and then folded in half) into each cup
• Place about 1 TS (Teaspoon) of meat sauce into each cup and then add 1 TS of the ricotta filling

• Cover with another wanton wrapper (or set of 3 halved and folded spring roll wrappers)
• Repeat this until you’ve built 2-3 layers

• Top with a little bit of meat sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan, if you’re using the wonton wrappers, or place another set of 3 spring roll wrappers on top and sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan

• Place the lasagna cupcakes into the oven and bake for 20 min (If you’re using the spring roll wrappers, it could take 40-60 minutes to cook them all the way through.)
• When they’re golden brown, remove from the oven, and let them sit for about 10 minutes

• Stuff your face with these fabulous lasagna cupcakes!