Lasagna Cupcakes Carnita Style Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the meat sauce: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the cinnamon stick and whole cloves. Add the onion, sprinkle with a little salt and saute until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
• Add the sausage, breaking up the clumps with your spoon. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped basil, as well as some salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. Allow the meat sauce to cool, about 15 minutes before building lasagna cupcakes. As the meat sauce is cooking, prepare the ricotta filling.
• For the ricotta filling: Stir together the ricotta, 3/4 cup Parmesan, 3/4 cup mozzarella and mango chutney. Season with lots of pepper, about a teaspoon and set aside.
• To assemble the cupcakes: Pull out your favorite cupcake pan. If your pan is not nonstick, spray the cups with cooking spray. Place a wonton wrapper in each cup. Don't worry if you're using square ones.
• Drop about 1 tablespoon of meat sauce into the bottom of each cup. Then add 1 teaspoon of ricotta filling. Then cover with another wonton wrapper, rotating it about 90 degrees so that the corners of the first wrapper and the second wrapper aren't right on top of each other. Repeat this until you've built 3 layers total. Top each with a small basil leaf, then another wonton wrapper. Finish each cupcake with a spoonful of meat sauce, a little shredded mozzarella and pinch of grated Parmesan.
• Pop them into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. When time's up, resist the temptation to eat them right away or else you'll burn your mouth! Let them rest on the counter for about 10 minutes, and they should slip out of the muffin tin easily. Top with more shredded basil if you like.

Steps:

• Prepare the tomato sauce.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• To start the lasagnas: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic cloves and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the spinach, a handful at a time, and stir-fry until it wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice then transfer the spinach to a colander set over a bowl to drain.
• Reserve 8 tablespoons of Parmesan and 8 tablespoons of mozzarella¿this will be the topping. The remaining cheese will be used in the lasagnas (note you can vary the amount of cheese to taste keeping in mind that the Parmesan is salty, the mozzarella is sweet as well as salty and helps to hold the lasagnas together, and the ricotta is sweet and creamy).
• Start assembling the lasagnas. Line each cupcake mold with a round wonton wrapper. Put a little Parmesan, a little mozzarella, and a little ricotta into each mold. Top with a little spinach and a spoonful of sauce. Repeat layers of wonton wrappers, cheeses, spinach and sauce, creating 6 layers in all, and ending with sauce. Sprinkle each lasagna with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella. (The "cupcakes" can alternatively be topped with Pink Ricotta Frosting. (See Cook's Note.)
• Bake until the lasagnas are nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Serve warm garnished with cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat (it should coat the bottom of the pan, add a bit more if your pan is wide). Add the garlic cloves. Season with black pepper and cook, stirring frequently until the garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic. Lower the heat to medium and add the basil. Cook just until the basil wilts, then add the wine. Stir in the beef and vegetable bouillon pastes, then add the tomatoes and carrots. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are soft and the sauce sweet, about 25 minutes. Discard the carrots. Season the sauce with salt and pepper then refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the meat sauce: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the whole cloves and cinnamon stick, and remove after a few minutes. Add the garlic and onions, sprinkle with a little salt and saute until softened but not browned.
• Add the sausage, breaking up the clumps with your spoon. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, as well as some salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. Allow the meat sauce to cool, about 15 minutes, before building lasagna cupcakes. As the meat sauce is cooking, prepare the ricotta filling.
• For the ricotta filling: Stir together the mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta and mango chutney. Season with salt and lots of pepper, about a teaspoon, and set aside.
• To assemble the cupcakes: Pull out your favorite cupcake pan. If your pan is not nonstick, spray the cups with cooking spray. Place a wonton wrapper in each cup. Don't worry if you're using square ones.
• Drop about 1 teaspoon of meat sauce into the bottom of each cup. Then add 1 teaspoon of ricotta filling. Then cover with another wonton wrapper, rotating it about 90-degrees so that the corners of the first wrapper and the second wrapper aren't right on top of each other. Repeat this until you've built three layers total. Top each with a small basil leaf, then another wonton wrapper. Finish each cupcake with a spoonful of meat sauce, a little shredded mozzarella and pinch of grated Parmesan.
• Pop them into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. When time's up, resist the temptation to eat them right away or else you'll burn your mouth! Let them rest on the counter for about 10 minutes, and they should slip out of the muffin tin easily. Top with more shredded basil if you like.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Drain and discard grease from the beef.
• Cut wonton wrappers into 2 1/4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Press one wonton into the bottom of each muffin cup. Sprinkle even amounts of Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and ricotta cheese into each muffin cup; top each portion with even amounts of ground beef and pasta sauce.
• Divide 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, half the ricotta cheese, 1/2 the ground beef mixture, and 1/2 cup pasta sauce, between the muffin cups and layer, respectively, atop the wonton wrapper; repeat layering with remaining wonton wrappers, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, remaining ricotta cheese, remaining ground beef, and remaining pasta sauce. Top the 'cupcakes' with remaining Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until edges of 'cupcakes' are browned, 18 to 20 minutes; let cook in tins for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the cupcakes to loosen the edges to remove. Garnish with fresh basil to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 6 jumbo muffin cups with cooking spray
• Line each muffin cup with 2 lasagna noodle halves, crisscrossing over bottom of cup, coming up sides of cup. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pasta sauce over noodles in each cup.
• In medium bowl, mix spinach, ricotta cheese, oregano, garlic powder, salt and egg. Place about 1/2 cup spinach mixture over sauce in each muffin cup; top each with about 3 tablespoons pasta sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.
• Bake 35 minutes. Uncover; bake about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan, and serve immediately. If desired, serve with additional pasta sauce.

Steps:

• 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
• 2 Brown beef, and season with salt and pepper. Drain.
• 3 Cut wonton wrappers into circle shapes (about 2 1/4- inches) using a biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time. Note: For a more rustic look, no cutting necessary!
• 4 Reserve 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese for the top of your cupcakes. Start layering your lasagna cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese in each. Top with a little meat and pasta sauce.
• 5 Repeat layers again (i.e. wonton, Parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and pasta sauce). Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
• 6 Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.
• 7 Garnish with basil and serve.