Wonton Wrapper Lasagna Bites

Who doesn't like tiny versions of regular-sized things? With what seems to be a wont0n wrapper phase, I felt like I had to get in on the fun. I've had this recipe pinned on my "Recipes to Make in 2014" board for a while and I'm glad I'm finally getting around to making them. 

I had most of the ingredients already at the house: ground meat (I used beef instead of turkey), spices, onion, sauce, and garlic. The only thing I really needed to pick up at the store were the cheeses and wonton wrappers. Even though I've bought wonton wrappers before, I can never remember where they are in the store. I ended up aimlessly wandering and finally googled on my phone "Where are wonton wrappers in a grocery store." So, let me help you save yourself some time while shopping- they're in the produce section close to the tofu and over vegetarian/vegan items. There are different sized wrappers: larger ones that you can use to wrap an egg roll or smaller ones that you can use for dumplings. I bought the smaller ones. 

Before the first time I cooked with wonton wrappers, I hadn't ever seen them uncooked. I was kind of surprised as to what they look/felt like uncooked. They're just really thin, very smooth pieces of dough. They almost feel like a thick piece of paper that's very floppy. 

Ingredients

(recipe will make 12 muffin-sized lasagna bites)

12 oz. ground beef

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 jar tomato sauce

3 teaspoons oregano, divided into 2 and 1 teaspoons

1-2 teaspoon(s) minced garlic [I really like garlic!]

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 & 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 & 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 

24 wonton wrappers

Easy instructions... 

1. In a large saute pan, brown ground beef along with onion, salt, and pepper. Once beef is fully browned, add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds to one minute. 

2. Add tomato sauce and 2 teaspoons oregano. Slowly bring the pan to a gentle boil. Once it begins boiling, bring it to a simmer and allow to cook down for about 10 minutes or until thickened up. Remove from heat and set aside. 

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

3. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon oregano, basil and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. 

4. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan. Place one wonton wrapper in the bottom of each tin. Make sure to press to the bottom and sides. This wonton will create the outer shell of the lasagna. 

5. Using just half of the ricotta cheese mixture, divide it evenly amongst the 12 tins. I started by putting a dollop of the ricotta cheese in each tin, making sure that I used about half of the entire amount. Then, I used the back of a spoon to spread it around the bottom of the wonton wrapper. 

6. Repeat step 5 using the meat sauce. 

7. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of shredded mozzarella on top of the meat sauce in each tin. 

8. Place another wonton wrapper in each tin. Gently press them down on top of the cheeses and meat sauce. (I ended up using exactly half of my package of wonton wrappers. I guess that means I need to find another wonton wrapper recipe!)

9. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 using the rest of the ricotta mixture, meat sauce, and mozzarella.

10. Bake for 10 minutes. They will be finished when the cheese is all melty and gooey and the edges of the wonton wrapper will be browned.  Let the cups cool before removing them from the muffin tin (about 10-15 minutes). 

They turned out delicious! I'd definitely make these again.
They could be a fun appetizer or pot luck recipe.