Lasagna Cupcakes

I happened upon this recipe recently in the depths of a labyrinthine food blog perusal session - I don't know what I was originally looking for.  Maybe lasagna.  Following links on food blogs to other food blogs, finding a good one and looking at their list of recipes, then suddenly...love at first sight.

Lasagna Cupcakes.

I knew this would be a flexible, easy-to-make, hard-to-mess up recipe.  And indeed - after just one attempt, this is already one of my 'Easy Awesome' recipes, perfect for a satisfying, easy dinner at the end of a stressful day, or a surprising fancy creation if you want to show off.

I created my basic recipe by combining the common features of these two recipes from Cruftbox and Can You Stay for Dinner?

 

Lasagna Cupcakes
Ingredients:

Wonton wrappers (find them in the fridge in the produce aisle)
Pasta sauce (if you want to keep it lazy and simple, choose a very flavorful sauce. I used Sockarooni)
Ricotta cheese (essential for the lasagna experience!)
Olive Oil

 
Optional Ingredients:
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese 
Veggies! (it doesn't take a lot of effort to make something seem fancy. I poured some olive oil in a saute pan, mixed in generic Italian seasoning and small chopped zucchini, green beans, shredded carrots, and diced onions. Cooked over medium-low heat with the lid on. Meanwhile, I grated mozzarella, and lined the cupcake pan with oil and wrappers. 



Directions: 
Grease cupcake tin with a little olive oil (adds flavor and prevents sticking)
Form wrappers into cup shapes
Add stuff* (pasta sauce, ricotta, etc)
Add another wonton wrapper
Add more stuff** (more sauce, veggies, etc)
Top with mozzarella

Bake at 375 for an excruciating 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  I was literally pacing back and forth in front of the stove waiting for these suckers to cook so I could find out how good they'd be.

*For the bottom layer, I started with a dollop*** of pasta sauce, then a dollop of ricotta. For kicks, I added an ample sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and a twist of freshly ground black pepper from the pepper mill.

**For the second layer, I added a little bit more sauce, a small spoonful of the sauteed veggies (green beans, zucchini, carrots and onion). Then I topped it with mozzarella.

***The exact measurement of a 'dollop' is about a spoonful

Post-Bliss Ruminations: 
These were really fucking good.  

Everything lasagna should be - perfect, gooey, maybe even a little crispy or crunchy in places, perfect blend of cheeses, hits your hungry stressed out overworked belly like a hug from a friend that will never let you down when you really need them.  

I loved the way the wonton wrappers looked because I didn't tuck in the ends - very decorative and loved the way they crisped. 

The best dinner I've had since I made Easy Peanut Red Curry a couple weeks ago.

To take out of the pan, I just grabbed a crispy corner of the wrapper and popped it right out (thank you, olive oil!)

The package of wonton wrappers I bought (for $2 on sale) has ~40 wrappers in it, so I have enough of everything to make another batch very soon!!!!!

I ate four lasagna cupcakes and felt satisfied, but due to a certain recurring feminine event, I also took the liberty of eating a slice of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from the bakery where I work and two-mini Snickers bars.  Now I'm in a moderate food-coma.  I'm too happy to move.