I find there’s a fine line between like and obsessed. A whisper-thin, sliver of a line. Take my reverence for Target, for example. What began nearly ten years ago as a casual, “Hey I really think that place is the cat’s pajamas” slipped almost too quickly into me considering ways to spend an entire weekend within its red doors. How lovely a weekend that would be.
My relationship with my muffin tin is similarly alarming. We can call it obsessive if we must. The thing is, I just can’t quite seem to help myself.
Because, I mean, well… everything can be cupcaked…made petite…muffined even. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert can all be popped, hot, from the twelve cup tin.
So then- shouldn’t they be?
I’ve moved beyond muffins…
sailed straight past mini cakes…
whipped apple cinnamon buns into cupcake shape…
settled a long-standing dispute with Hostess…
and now I’ve gone and whittled lasagna into onesies.
I can’t promise I won’t do it again. And I don’t even think I can be held accountable for my actions.
Not when I’m capable of transforming what was once a sort of daunting, mess-inducing, oh-what-will-I-do-with-all-those-leftovers, casserole into petite-sized portions.
Not when tomato sauce is spiced and chunky with crumbled turkey.
Not when I can finally find a use for those damn wonton wrappers.
And no, certainly not when creamy ricotta and melting strands of mozzarella are on the line.
Petite Lasagnas
recipe slightly adapted from Hungry Girl
(makes 12)
12 oz raw ground turkey
¼ tsp salt, divided
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped mushrooms
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp dried oregano, divided
½ tsp dried basil
1 ½ cups part skim ricotta cheese
24 small square wonton wrappers (the kind near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the produce dept)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, onions, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Crumble the meat and saute the mixture for about 10 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.
Add the crushed tomatoes and 2 tsp of oregano. Bring the pan to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper, the remaining teaspoon of oregano, and the basil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.
Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 wonton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.
Using half of the ricotta mixture, divide it among the 12 muffin cups. Next, using half of the turkey tomato sauce, spoon it evenly over each of the ricotta filled cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of mozzarella.
Gently press another wonton wrapper on top of the mozzarella layer.
Repeat the process by distributing the remaining ricotta, then the remaining tomato sauce, and finally the rest of the shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Let the cups cool, remove them from the pan, and serve!
Nutrition Info for 1 petite lasagna:
Calories: 181.2, Total Fat: 7.9g, Cholesterol: 41.9mg, Sodium: 389.5mg, Total Carb: 13.6g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 1.6g, Protein 14.1g
Tags: cooking, Dinner, food, ground turkey, healthy, individual, Italian, lasagna, marinara, portion, recipes, tomato sauce
November 4, 2010 at 9:22 am |
“lasagna onesies” I LOVE IT !
these look fabulous! I want to make!!
November 4, 2010 at 9:22 am |
Those are absolutely adorable!!
November 4, 2010 at 9:38 am |
Perfect little onesies – I LOVE IT. You are such an inspiration. Thank you!
Mandy
November 4, 2010 at 9:39 am |
Sooo cute! These would be great for a potluck. Thanks for this. I will definitely be trying this out.
November 4, 2010 at 9:42 am |
Yep- the muffin tin is a serious kitchen staple. And for people living on their own, it’s awesome for helping to portion off and make mini meals…
Once you think about it, is there really anything you couldn’t reduce down to cupcake size???
November 4, 2010 at 9:43 am |
What a neat idea!! Wonderful for fixing meals for one or two people. And thanks for telling where wonton wrappers are in the store. I didn’t know.
November 4, 2010 at 9:58 am |
These are so cute, and would be perfect for serving at a party!
November 4, 2010 at 10:02 am |
Love love love this! And I love hungry girl too!
November 4, 2010 at 11:00 am |
How cute are these! Kids and adults would love ‘em
November 4, 2010 at 11:27 am |
I LOVE this idea! I made tacos in muffin tins and decided everything is better fist-sized.
November 4, 2010 at 11:52 am |
These look cute, but I’m not sure how I would feel about the texture from the crispiness of those wonton wrappers
November 4, 2010 at 1:37 pm |
Love it!!!! It’s a great idea and I do love your blog as well!
November 4, 2010 at 1:48 pm |
Thank you!
November 4, 2010 at 2:39 pm |
That is adorable. It’d be perfect for a bridal or baby shower!
November 4, 2010 at 6:31 pm |
These are so freaking cute! I would have never even thought mini-lasagnas could be done, this is genius, love it. What an impressive party dish idea too!
November 4, 2010 at 11:51 pm |
I think I love you
I have just been following you for about a month now and you have made such an impression on me… Thank you for your thoughtful post and your awesome recipes. I too have suffered with disordered eating and really admire you. PLUS you have some of the greatest recipes around. I will be making this lasagna this weekend!
November 5, 2010 at 6:45 am |
Thank you so very much, Jamie!
November 5, 2010 at 6:11 am |
OMG, you are a genius!!!!
November 5, 2010 at 7:52 am |
I love these!!! I already loved lasagna, but these are so cute and perfectly portioned. What a great recipe!
November 5, 2010 at 1:37 pm |
How adorable!!!!
November 5, 2010 at 3:21 pm |
Super cute– and I bet they’re yummy! What a great and adorable idea.
November 5, 2010 at 4:07 pm |
Thanks Ashley!
November 6, 2010 at 5:48 am |
[...] week, I’ve been reading… Andrea made some adorable petite lasagnas. Katy wrote a great post on 10 Reasons I Subscribe To Your Blog Doesn’t Angela’s [...]
November 8, 2010 at 8:00 am |
oh my gosh Andrea, how did I miss these? was I cryogenically frozen for that day?
I may, just may have to break my ban on carbs to eat one (or
very GENIUS idea!!!!
thanks
November 9, 2010 at 9:34 am |
Wow! I just ate way too much lasagna last night and this would have been a MUCH better alternative!! I will try them SOON!
November 10, 2010 at 6:02 am |
Thanks, that was a great read I tried one from this lasagna recipe site before but it wasn’t so hot. I think I’ll try a different one tonight though!
November 24, 2010 at 10:38 pm |
i’m in awe
December 6, 2010 at 7:04 pm |
I’m in your same cupcake-lovin’ boat…recently made turkey meatloaf mini muffins, just because…
December 7, 2010 at 5:54 am |
Meatloaf is one of my favorite meals ever. In fact, I just made it last night! I’d love to try it in a cupcake tin- great idea!!
December 22, 2010 at 12:29 pm |
I made these the same night I found the recipe, can I just say THANK YOU! They were simple to make, yet just amazingly flavorful and everyone loved them- and when I have 6 people to cook for that can be a challenge. I made 18 of them and the leftovers were gone the next night. THAT never happens. Just wonderful.
December 30, 2010 at 9:07 am |
Love this idea. My kiddos would absolutely gobble these up!
January 2, 2011 at 6:50 pm |
I love this idea – quick, easy, and healthy! I think I might try a veggie version, yum!
January 3, 2011 at 12:35 am |
yes id like to stay for dinner.
January 3, 2011 at 1:08 pm |
Thank you, not only for the inspiring recipe, but for being kind enough to include the dietary guide at the end. I might not have otherwise tried it myself.
January 3, 2011 at 10:04 pm |
[...] Lil’ Lasagnas (Can you Stay For Dinner original) [...]
January 3, 2011 at 11:33 pm |
Amazing! I absolutely love your post…so creative and witty! And this recipe is so timely…I have a lot of won ton wrappers that need to be used. What an inspiration for something so cute and fun!
January 5, 2011 at 3:12 pm |
AH! WAS I SUPPOSED TO COOK THE WONTONS FIRST!?!?! I didn’t. and they’re already in the oven. I guess well see!
January 5, 2011 at 3:20 pm |
No need to cook them first!
January 5, 2011 at 3:24 pm
ahh thank you so much
they look wonderful!
January 5, 2011 at 3:26 pm
aaand I’m really glad I stumbled-upon your blog. already loveee it!
January 5, 2011 at 4:21 pm |
We made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious. I made a couple small changes (less meat, more mushrooms and added grated carrot to the sauce) but kept it mostly the same. My daughter loved helping me put these together and she ate 3 of them (she is 5 and weighs 35 pounds)! She told me she didn’t need dessert because these were better than candy! I’m definitely going to start following your blog to see what other brilliant ideas you have for us!
January 6, 2011 at 2:54 am |
[...] these look delicious – mini lasagna [...]
January 7, 2011 at 11:04 am |
SO cute – love that idea. Will have to try it out sometime. I love working with wonton wrappers but never thought to make mini lasagnas with them.
January 7, 2011 at 9:41 pm |
I just made these for dinner tonight after a friend posted them online, and they are DELICIOUS! My kids loved them, the guests we had over for dinner loved them, my husband loved them, and so did I! Thanks so much! This is definitely going into my “keepers” box!
January 8, 2011 at 5:51 pm |
Okay, I was very leery about the wantons because they turn out crisp as a general rule. Sure, the parts that are away from the filling are crisp, but the parts in the middle almost have the same texture as traditional noodles. Delicious!!!!! I froze most of my first batch to bring them to school for lunch. Thanks for posting this recipe!!!
January 9, 2011 at 3:57 pm |
What a PERFECT idea for someone like me who lives alone. I love baked ziti/lasagna/etc but I never make it cause a whole pan is way too much. I just made a variation of this (used different veggies and jarred sauce) and mine fell apart when I took them out of the pan, but they were still delicious. Fantastic idea!
Question – did you cook the wonton wrappers before you put them in the pan? I think that’s why mine didn’t stay together.
January 9, 2011 at 7:27 pm |
Thanks Kiersten! No, I didn’t precook the wonton wrappers!
January 10, 2011 at 11:51 am
Hmmm, then I must have gotten different ones or something cause mine were a darker brown and not as flexible(?) and I think that may be why they didn’t stick when I took them out. Thanks again!
January 10, 2011 at 5:18 am |
My mouth is watering…
Love the idea of mini lasagnas!
January 10, 2011 at 7:06 am |
That mini lassagna is amazingly mouthwatering.
January 12, 2011 at 1:55 am |
[...] with wheat rolls, grilled onions, and steamed broccoli. Sat: Leftovers/Sandwiches/Salad Sun: Petite lasagnas (subbing the noodles for sliced zucchini) with a small salad. Mon: Greek Chicken with veggies & [...]
January 13, 2011 at 11:51 am |
Absolutely brillant!!!!
January 14, 2011 at 9:43 pm |
Really? Lasagna-itas? Wow! Must try very soon, like tomorrow! Very NICE!
January 15, 2011 at 4:31 pm |
A fun idea! I used lasagna noodles because I didn’t feel like making the trek over to the asian market. Next time I will definitely use the wonton wrappers, the noodles were too thick and heavy and didn’t keep their shape.
January 16, 2011 at 1:24 pm |
[...] food: A recipe from canyoustayfordinner.com for Petite Lasagnas. We adapted the recipe slightly by using red, green and yellow bell peppers in [...]
January 16, 2011 at 6:06 pm |
What an awesome idea! I cannot wait to make these. Thanks for the recipe!
January 17, 2011 at 7:56 pm |
I just made these, and the biggest problem, that I can tell, is that we can’t stop eating them. Delicious, and perfect little portions. Yum! I would’ve taken a picture, but we circled the pan and there is nothing left.
January 20, 2011 at 5:52 am |
Oh I love this idea! I am going to make these next week.
January 21, 2011 at 6:36 pm |
Very delicious. I love it. I will try for my son
January 22, 2011 at 4:24 pm |
Wow! So good! I made these today with a homemade soy protein meat substitute and a ricotta substitute made with tofu. A little difficult to get them out of the tins, but that’s most likely because I just couldn’t wait for them to cool
January 23, 2011 at 11:42 am |
Saw this link on the Crafterhours sidebar and had to come right over!! Now I’m smitten and I have to have these. I can’t wait to look at all your other links. I think I’m going to have to redo my menu for the week!!
Thanks for the recipe!
January 24, 2011 at 7:05 pm |
Ummmm…I will make these and love them, thank you for sharing.
January 25, 2011 at 9:18 pm |
Genius. You are so well spoken and your creations look creative and tempting. Thank you for the fun read and the wonderful ideas. Thank you.
January 27, 2011 at 6:05 pm |
Looks good. Must try.
January 27, 2011 at 8:17 pm |
This one got me totally excited. My husband doesn’t even think its weird anymore that I get excited over a recipe.lol. I love to cook and try out new recipes…and I think I will give this one a go if you dont mind.
January 28, 2011 at 4:04 am |
[...] at these Petite Lasagnas from Can You Stay for Dinner. Bite sized (or almost) lasagna? Yes, I can stay for [...]
January 29, 2011 at 7:51 pm |
These make my heart so happy!
hahahah i’m so glad that these exist — brilliant work.
January 30, 2011 at 2:01 pm |
So I made these and they were AMAZING! Thank you soo much.
January 30, 2011 at 11:50 pm |
[...] This recipe was inspired by Can You Stay for Dinner [...]
January 31, 2011 at 11:50 am |
Beautiful cupcakes Carla! I’ll take one!
February 2, 2011 at 11:35 am |
[...] via Can You Stay For Dinner slightly adapted from Hungry [...]
February 4, 2011 at 7:03 am |
[...] into football as I am into the party part of it. I am thinking about making these pizza rolls or baby lasagna. They look so cute and [...]
February 5, 2011 at 9:04 am |
YUUMMMMMM …
February 5, 2011 at 11:29 am |
[...] Petite Lasagnas [...]
February 5, 2011 at 12:28 pm |
_I_ have a 6-cup muffin tin. Even better for someone who lives alone….I make half recipes! It used to fit in my toaster oven, but I recently replaced the toaster, and in the new one muffins cook unevenly.
February 5, 2011 at 7:58 pm |
Ooo, I bet a 6 cup muffin tin would be fabulous to have. I’m always halving recipes!
February 5, 2011 at 2:31 pm |
I came across this recipe when it was pinned on Pinterest.com and I knew I had to try it. I have to admit that I have my favourite lasagna recipe (World’s Best Lasagna on allrecipes.com) and couldn’t bear to part with it completely, so I made mini versions of that recipe, using your wonton idea.
They are WONDERFUL and will be perfect for the freezer, for work lunches… and they are so cute. Thanks!
February 6, 2011 at 8:12 am |
Can this be made with noodles instead of wontons?
February 6, 2011 at 8:54 am |
Absolutely! Just boil the noodles until they’re soft first!
February 6, 2011 at 9:57 am |
these look so delishhhhh!!!!! you’re so creative!
February 6, 2011 at 2:49 pm |
[...] basically used this recipe from Can You Stay for Dinner? as a reference point. I used my own recipe in terms of the meat and [...]
February 12, 2011 at 9:36 am |
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February 12, 2011 at 9:34 pm |
I stumbled upon this one day and had it open in my browser for a while and finally got around to doing the recipe this past weekend. I got a lot of compliments on flavor, but I ultimately decided to go with ground beef instead of turkey.
As a personal note, the next time I go about doing this recipe I think I will do just one layer of deliciousness instead of 2. My lasagnas were a little on the “overflowing” side of things, but were still amazing none the less and I’d rather have them be more like small appetizers as opposed to nearly a small meal
I’m living with 4 other guys off campus next year and since we are each cooking one meal a week I am DEFINITELY going to be using this blog a lot for recipes! Thanks so much!!!
February 14, 2011 at 9:27 am |
Yum!!!! I’m going to make half this way and the other half doing a alfredo sauce with broccoli and carrots for the filling.
I think you should make a whole meal using the cupcake tin. You could do lasagna, maybe some kind of rice or risotto cake. do you think you could do a green bean casserole in the tin? it sounds fun!
February 14, 2011 at 10:17 am |
Fabulous ideas, Ann! Mmm green bean casserole could be perfect in the tin, so long as we develop of “shell” to put it in!
February 15, 2011 at 2:32 pm |
[...] That’s my description of these cute lil lasagna onesies that I made from a recipe courtesy of Can You Stay For Dinner? [...]
February 16, 2011 at 3:54 pm |
oh dear god, another italian rendition that I will hardly be able to help myself from! looks so divine! and I loved the “whittled into a onesie” comment. Hilarious!!!
February 17, 2011 at 9:12 am |
[...] and wonton wrappers is getting out of hand. In the past few months, I’ve used them to make petite lasagnas, buffalo chicken rolls, tuna rangoon, and now chicken parmesan wraps. We could call it me [...]
February 17, 2011 at 11:37 am |
Thanks for sharing this! I love pasta but portion control can be a real pain. This is one of the best stumbles ever!
February 18, 2011 at 2:02 am |
I just made these this evening for dinner and they were delicious! Thank you!
February 20, 2011 at 3:56 pm |
Amazing creation! Love lasagna and what an easy way to make it!
February 21, 2011 at 10:40 am |
Lovely. Simply elegant and lovely. This has changed how I look at everything. Thank you for expanding my consciousness….<3
February 23, 2011 at 10:09 am |
I love this article. Thanks for this delicious food
February 23, 2011 at 8:15 pm |
how could i NOT love your obsession with your muffin tin? i love mini anything..individual little lasagnas? amazing! more ideas please!
February 23, 2011 at 10:54 pm |
Thanks Deb!
February 25, 2011 at 12:36 pm |
[...] from this recipe I’ve yet to make it for a date meal but think it would be [...]
February 25, 2011 at 5:52 pm |
These were fantastic. My husband and I made this last night. They even came out of the pan. The crunch from the wanton was wonderful. We ended up using diced tomatoes with tomato paste. The chunks from the tomatoes made a great texture difference.