New Job + New Work Hours = Less Posting

Sorry for the lack of posting recently, but I just started working from 3:30pm to midnight and that makes it more difficult for me to cook as much as I used to. I’m whatever the polar opposite of a morning person is, so I usually wake up only to go plop down on the couch for a few hours, before finally having enough energy to make lunch (usually something out of the freezer). I need to be better about making time to cook.

Nando

Lasagna Cupcakes

I was looking for a way to make lasagna into a snack without having to either pig out or make a whole lasagna that would eventually end up in my fridge for longer than it takes me to eat it. Since I was on my own this past weekend (Mrs. Belly Full was out of town), I decided that this weekend was perfect for me to make my “snackable” lasagna (I had a craving for it, anyway).

I cooked the beef and refrigerated it overnight because I believe that it tastes better the second day. I also used store-bought wonton wrappers and my favorite tomato/pasta sauce (nothing fancy), but feel free to use your own homemade tomato sauce if you have some lying around. As far as cutting the wonton wrappers into perfect circles, I used a lid off a jar that just happened to be the right size. Place it on the wrapper and trace around it with a paring knife (or push it through the dough).

If I can make a small suggestion, try and use a silicone muffin pan, if you can. I found that it was extremely easy to get them out as I could just push the bottom and have them pop out. I also cut out a small piece of parchment paper that I used to line the bottom to ensure they would come up easily.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None

Ingredients:

1/4 Medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 Stalk celery, finely diced
1/4 Carrot, finely diced
1/2 clove Garlic, minced
8 oz Ground beef
1/2 tsp each Salt and dried oregano
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Flour
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Tomato paste
1/4 cup Chicken stock
1/3 cup Basic tomato sauce (you can use your favorite store bought brand)

8 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated
4 oz Ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Roman Cheese
Wonton Wrappers

Procedure:

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot and sauté until the onion becomes translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Next add the ground beef and allow it to brown up nicely, stirring only occasionally. Once the beef is almost cooked through, add the garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and flour and stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium and let the flour cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and chicken stock, stirring to combine. Once the pot comes to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and let it cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes. You will know it’s done when most of the liquid has evaporated and the bottom of the pot is dry when you move the beef around. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate overnight).

When the bolognese is ready to be used, build the lasagna cupcakes by layering one sheet of wonton wrapper, a teaspoon of beef, and a bit of all three cheeses. Repeat and then top with one wrapper and some mozzarella and some parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 7-10 mintues, until the cheese on top is melted and bubbling.

Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan. Enjoy!

Buen Provecho!

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