Dweezil and Lisa love these Cupcake Lasagnas because you can customize each one — more sauce or more cheese, with or without spinach or even adding ground turkey or meat. They exemplify the Dweezil and Lisa’s approach to food — you can make them as healthy or decadent as you prefer, and the individual size is perfect portion control. You can layer them traditionally or tint the ricotta cheese to create frosting with a cherry tomato and basil garnish to continue the deception. They freeze beautifully as well.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pound cleaned spinach
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 1 package round wonton wrappers
- 8 ounces mozzarella, grated
- 3 ounces Parmesan, grated
- 4 ounces ricotta cheese (half reserved for frosting if desired)
- 8 cherry tomatoes, for garnish
- 8 small basil leaves, for garnish
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin oil
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- Ground black pepper
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 teaspoon beef bouillon paste
- 3/4 teaspoon vegetable bouillon paste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
- 3 whole carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 513 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 56 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Sodium | 1091 mg |
Reviews
I made these for my family. I used creme cheese, spaghetti sauce & ground turkey & mozzarella
cheese on top. Turned out great!!
cheese on top. Turned out great!!
I made these for my son just before I delivered him to his college dorm. Had scored a nice medium sized refrigerator with a small freezer for him. He zaps them in the microwave and loves the cupcakes! He could not remember how long he had them in the micro but, I have more here I can test. I added a little cooked ground pork and spinach on the first layer and probably more cheese than the recipe called for. Also, used Goyza wrappers instead of wontons. They are round like the cupcake pan. HAHAHA!
He has no idea who Dweezil Zappa is and thought I was nuts when I told him that his sister is Moonunit. Looking forward to the day the he is “smarter” than his kids, 20 years from now. :
I didn’t make the tomato sauce, just used sauce from a jar to save time. I also used browned ground turkey. This is so easy and makes great leftovers. My husband finds it so convenient to take to work for lunch. This is now a regular in our house.
Easy to do for a large crowd, no cutting. I did only use 3 wontons and also used alfredo for one layer, thanks to the other reviews. Talk of the table.
Kitschy spin on lasagna. Make sure to use no more than 3 won ton wrappers per cup as the thickness will hinder the overall taste of the meal
I used Fillo Dough instead of the won ton dough. They were delicious! I also substituted Alfredo sauce for one layer of tomato sauce. I would definitely make it again.