My 2 main deterrents* to cooking dinners at home are probably the same as everyone else’s…

1. I always feel like I don’t have enough time. (even though I will spend twice as long driving someplace to eat or get take-out)

2. There’s no ingredients in the house to make anything. (or everything is frozen)

*I’d give an honourable mention to not wanting to have to clean up afterwards.

So when I saw some articles for mini lasagnas I kicked myself for not thinking of it myself. They are so easy, and you really don’t need a recipe at all. It’s a “use what you’ve got” kind of meal, so there are only a couple things you really need and the rest you can just wing it.

These pint sized lasagnas could be called “cute”, but I think “cute” is reserved for puppies and Zooey Deschanel, so lets just call them cool. And the coolest thing about them? You make them in a muffin tin, using wonton wrappers instead of pasta! Genius!

The prep

Here’s the ingredients for what I made:

• wonton wrappers
• cheddar/ mozza mix
• classico four cheese pasta sauce
• spinach
• cooked bacon

I also made some variations such as switching out the bacon for cooked Andouille sausage or cooked meatballs, adding chicken and onions, and I even made one with chicken, brie cheese, chopped pecans, and honey.

To start, line the muffin tins with the wonton wrappers. Some recipes call for spraying the tins, but I didn’t find it necessary.

not too difficult so far, right?

Next, I added my dry ingredients. Chuck in a couple crumbles of bacon, some spinach, sausage, or whatever you want at this point. Don’t go too crazy on the quantity though… you’re going to be building another layer on top of this one.

Time to give it some sauce! I enjoy mine more on the saucy side, so I put about 2 tbsp on and topped with a sprinkle of cheese. Add another wonton wrapper, offset from the other one so the tips look nice, and start building your second layer.

Bacon and spinach tips: brown the bacon well as it will absorb some moisture from the sauce. Also double what you think is good for spinach as it almost vanishes after baking.

Chicken with pecans tip: get creative with the “sauce”. I tried maple syrup, honey, and a sesame ginger dressing. All great.

Again, top with sauce and cheese (a little more cheese on top than in the middle). Slide them into a preheated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

And what you’ll get is this….

Chicken, pecans, and brie

And this….

bacon and spinach