Petite Lasagna

What's not to love? And to tell you they were super-easy to make is a bit of an understatement. Can't say they were the most price-friendly choice for dinner (who really tries to save money by making lasagna, anyway?), but it was worth the mini-splurge to get some ground beef and ricotta. Wontons are average-priced in my taste, and we end up using them for 2 dinners anyway. Mozzarella? Price-matching, my friends. Walmart can be your friend in this department, I'm positive. For this recipe, we just used the second half of the ground beef from the previous recipe's ingredients (the tex-mex pizza, to die for).

Anyways, my laptop cord is to POT, folks. So, obviously, I used my battery until it was dry as a bone, and now it doesn't even turn on. Sad. Until my cord comes in from Amazon, my only choice it to use Ryan's computer when he's in the shower, or when he leaves it home when he's at the firm. The point of this little story, is that I usually store my recipes online (bookmarked, Pinterest, blog, etc) and didn't have my computer functional, and Ryan's computer was with him at class. When dinner time came around last night, I stood in the kitchen with the whole deer-in-headlights-look, with no recipe, and no ingredient list for reference.

It's times like these, folks, that we women/men put on our big-girl-panties/grow a pair, and DO WORK. Yo. Word. (gang sign).... must be getting late...

I kind of enjoyed not following a definite recipe. It was great fun. The results were fantastic. I especially loved how the wonton was crispy at the top, but maintained an almost lasagne-noodle texture in the actual ''muffin''. I'm sure you could layer in some yummy steamed veggies, or use mushrooms instead of meat to keep it vegetarian. Whatever works at your house, do it.

Here's what I came up with:

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Petite Lasagna
concept adapted from canyoustayfordinner.com. The recipe itself is mine. 
makes 12


cheese layer: 
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 small carton ricotta (Skim Milk version)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of garlic powder

meat layer: (YOU WILL HAVE EXTRA SAUCE, just save it, and make some spaghetti tomorrow with it)

1/2 lb ground beef
2 fresh vine-on tomatoes, pureed
1 packet (gasp) of McCormick 'Thick and Zesty" Spaghetti Sauce Mix
1 can (small) tomato paste 
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 T sugar

"noodle" layer: 
Wontons
Cooking Spray

Allllrighty, folks. Lasagna, in my opinion, is broken up into three main components: gooey white stuff, red meaty sauce mix, and the noodle. (So technical, I know).

350 degrees is your oven setting, folks.

First, brown your ground beef in a pan and toss in those onions. When the onions are clear, and the meat is cooked through, stir in your tomato puree. Let it simmer for a bit, then add your McCormick seasoning packet, tomato paste, sugar, and enough water to your desired sauce consistency. Let it all simmer together while you prep your tins, and make your cheesy-filling goodness.

Next, in a bowl, mix together your ricotta, 1 1/2 cup of your mozzarella, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and the egg.

Spray your muffin tins with your cooking spray, and lay down a couple wontons to cover the bottoms. Now we layer it on. I only did a couple layers. I added my white mixture, then a wonton, then the meat mixture, then a wonton, then the white mixture. I finished it off by sprinkling it all with mozzarella, and then popped those lovers in the oven. 

Mine were done in about 20 minutes, but you may need to check on yours around 15.

And that's it! Enjoy!