Cupcakes with a twist. Who can resist layers of meat, cheese and tomato baked in little lasagna cupcakes? How two cultures clash or what happens when our Italo-American tastes meet in the middle.
Ingredients
- 1/3 pound ground beef
- Salt and pepper
- 24 empanada or wonton wrappers
- alternatively cut circles out of a sheet of puff or phyllo pastry
- 1 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- basil for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Brown beef in a skillet and season with salt and pepper. Drain.
- Cut wrappers into circle shapes, about 2 1/4-inches wide, using a biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time.
- 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 wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin cup. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese in each. Top with a little meat and tomato sauce.
- Repeat layers (wrapper, Parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and tomato sauce). Top each cupcake with some of the reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
- 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 cupcake out. Garnish with basil and serve.
