An Italian Cupcake

 

Not long ago I came across this website called Slender Kitchen, which was introduced to me by Chris Freytag in her Clean Eating eBook (Oh, is that me in the featured testimonial? blushing).  One of the recipes in her book were these delicious little Lasagna Cupcakes. 

 

I have to say, my family and myself instantly fell in love with these little beauties.  These are made with simple little layers of wonton wrappers in place of noodles and any vegetable, meat (or no meat) and sauce variation you can come up with.  The first time I made these, I made them with ground turkey, a light creamy white sauce, spinach and broccoli, and some Colby jack cheese.  This batch is made with ground beef, marinara, zucchini, and a classic Italian cheese mixture.  Either way you go, these are sure to have your kids and family begging for more.

 

Easy Lasagna Cupcakes

 

8 oz lean ground beef

1 zucchini, cut into thin slices

1 cup marinara sauce

olive oil cooking spray

2/3 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup fat free cottage cheese

1/3 cup fat free ricotta cheese

2 Tb parmesan cheese

1 egg

2 tsp Italian seasoning

24 wonton wrappers

12 cup muffin pan 

 

 Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 375F.

 

Spray a twelve cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

 

In a large bowl combine cheeses, egg and Italian seasoning.  Mix well.

 

Brown lean ground beef in skillet over medium heat.  Flash-cook the zucchini as well, for just two minutes.

 

 

Fold the marinara sauce into the ground beef.

 

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray and lightly press a wonton wrapper into each cup.  Add a tablespoon of meat mixture, top with one or two zucchini slices and a half tablespoon of cheese mixture.  Top with another wonton wrapper, press lightly and repeat layers, finishing with cheese layer.

 

Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

 

Serves 4-6.  Prep 15 min.  Cook 35 min. 

These should really be called vanishing lasagna cupcakes.

I mean, really, when can I make more of these?  I really like the white sauce, turkey, broccoli and spinach combo.  Hmm, a vegetarian spinach alfredo combo sounds pretty darn awesome here too!  With a hint of feta cheese. Yyep, the options are endless.

 

What flavor combinations will you choose?  Feel free to share it here!

 

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