Muffin Tin Mini Lasagnas

Almost every winter I make a big pan of The Pioneer Woman’s lasagna and it feeds us for the next 20 days (ok, maybe a few less, but seriously, it makes a lot of food). I never got around to it this year, and though I’d like to say we’ve completely moved on from craving such heavy comfort food with winter ending, the thermometer still reads about 20 degrees when I wake up in the morning lately so, yeah, we haven’t.

But we are still intent on making healthier choices these days, and eating our way through a huge pan of lasagna for days on end doesn’t exactly fit in with those plans. As delicious as it would be 🙂 Fortunately, I found a different way to satisfy our craving with these adorable portion-controlled mini lasagnas.

The mini lasagnas include all of the components you’d expect in traditional lasagna – the ricotta, the meat sauce, the mozzarella – it’s all there. There’s just one modification; rather than pasta noodles, the vessels for the lasagnas are wonton wrappers. You assemble and bake the lasagnas right in a standard muffin tin, then they just pop right out for serving. Traditional lasagna is always so messy to cut and serve (and I guess that’s part of the fun), but I love how neat and easily portioned things are with this version!

After a steady diet of lean protein and veggies for dinner for the past few weeks I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed the cheesy goodness of these lasagnas. The exposed edges of my wonton wrappers became crispy in the oven but the part in the muffin pan did not so it provided some of that chewiness that the pasta otherwise would have contributed. Two of the mini lasagnas come in at under 400 calories, and served with a salad on the side, it was an awfully fun guilt-free meal 🙂

Though there is a recipe provided below, you could take this idea and run with it using your favorite lasagna recipe. I’m thinking mini veggie lasagnas are next on my agenda…

Muffin Tin Mini Lasagnas
barely adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner?

{Note: I reduced some of the oregano called for the in the original recipe and liked it just the way it was, but Shane wished I’d included it all. You’ll have to taste and season as you go to decide what works for you.}

12 oz ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
24 wonton wrappers
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with nonstick cooking spray.

Add the ground turkey, onions, mushrooms, salt, and pepper to a large skillet set over medium to medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, break the turkey up into small crumbles and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the turkey has browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Add the tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, and the red pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, the basil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

To assemble: Press 1 wonton wrapper into each well of the muffin pan – be sure to press them into the bottom and sides of the pan. Working with half of the ricotta mixture, divide it among the wells of the pan evenly, pressing the ricotta into an even layer. Working with half of the tomato sauce, divide it among the wells of the pan, spreading in an even layer rather than mounding. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the mozzarella over the top of each mini lasagna. Press a second wonton wrapper onto each mini lasagna then repeat the process of layering using the second half of the ricotta mixture, the remaining half of the tomato sauce and finally two more teaspoons of the mozzarella per cup.

Bake the mini lasagnas for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove the muffin pan to a wire rack and let the mini lasagnas cool for a few minutes before removing them. Garnish with fresh basil before serving, if desired.

Makes 12