Spinach Lasagna Cupcakes Recipes

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:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour with whisk; cook and stir 2 minutes. Slowly beat in broth, whipping cream, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and the nutmeg with whisk. Increase heat to medium-high; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and any liquid from mushrooms has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually add spinach, stirring constantly, and cook until wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 1/4 cups of the cream sauce. Reserve remaining sauce.
• In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
• To assemble: Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 3/4 cup of the sauce into bottom of baking dish. Top with 3 of the lasagna noodles in single layer. Evenly top with 1 cup of the cheese filling and 1 1/3 cups of the spinach mixture. Repeat layers twice, starting with noodles and ending with spinach mixture. For final layer, top with 3 noodles; pour remaining 3/4 cup sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through (165°F in center), bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
• To freeze: Line 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with foil, making sure foil is as smooth as possible, as wrinkled foil may get stuck in sauce during freezing process. Leave enough overhang to be able to lift assembled lasagna out of dish. Spray foil with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate sauce and spinach mixture 30 to 40 minutes before making cheese filling and assembling lasagna. Stir 2 1/4 cups cream sauce into spinach mixture. Assemble lasagna in dish as directed; cover tightly with another layer of foil. Freeze unbaked lasagna about 8 hours or until completely frozen. Transfer frozen lasagna to labeled 2-gallon resealable freezer plastic bag. Remove air; seal and freeze up to three months. To bake: Remove foil, and transfer to 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and thaw in refrigerator until completely thawed, at least 48 hours. Heat oven to 400°F. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes; remove foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through (165°F in center), bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

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.